Moth
by Pandax-Pro
Summary: Steve/Tony- Remember in Mighty Avengers when Ultron turns Tony into a girl? Yeah, let's just leave it at that. -Warnings- Slash, MPreg, Spoilers for CW, SI, & DR. -Fic Complete
1. Prologue Conception

**Verse**: Moth  
**Volume**: 1  
**Issue #**: 00 - Prologue  
**Title**: Conception  
**Authors**: pandanoai and axolotllan  
**Pairings**: Steve/Tony, Hank/Jan, Peter/MJ, etc., etc.  
**Disclaimer**: Marvel's- though we honestly think they abuse Steve and Tony more then we do  
**Rating**: M (yeah… we're off to a great start for something we want everyone to read .)  
**Warnings**: _CRAZY_ pet project of Pandax Productions. Contains slash, copious amounts of random banter, a slight reworking of Marvel canon, and male pregnancy ya _heard_ me! \ o /.  
**Summary**: Life for the Avengers can be wonderful, painful, breath-taking, bone-crushing… all at once.  
**Acknowledgements**: A special thanks to shannanigans85 for inspiring this fic. And of course, thanks ever so much to our lovely beta! This story would be dead from run-on sentences and horrible pacing if not for charlanka. :D

--

Authors Note--

**Why it's Called Moth:**

MOTH used to be an acronym. We're pretty sure it stood for Matters of the Heart which is something terrifiyingly fluffy so of course I would name it that. But _Moth_ just became the fic itself so that's what we're calling it. It's kind of like SHIELD, you have no clue what it stands for half the time and the other half you don't even care. :D

**Why it just HAD to be done:**

Well, it all started with a conversation between me and my roomie. Afterwards I remember thinking seriously about my fav fictional couple. Since most of the fanfic I read and write is centered around the Steve/Tony pairing, I wanted to know what might be the next step for them after they got together and knew it would work.

Then I thought, ok what would be the next step for them in their _crazy-messed-up-insane lives_? Normal occurrences aren't exactly an option for them. Thus Moth was born. I'm pretty sure Lan went along with it because it wasn't mainstream and it satisfied all of her summer fic challenges from her prompt table. :D

**Random bits of Canon:**

For non-616ers, you might want to wiki the following characters for their major canonical plot points, as they show up in the fic quite a bit:  
Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson-Parker, Clint Barton, Carol Danvers, Henry "Beast" McCoy, Reed Richards, and Franklin and Valeria Richards.

Special Guest Appearances by:  
Nick Fury, James Rhodes, Mrs. Arbogast, Pepper Potts, Luke Cage, Sam Wilson, Jessica Jones-Cage, Danielle Cage, Emma Frost, Sue Richards, Wolverine, the entire cast of the Young Avengers, Mystery Evil Person, and a slightly shaky poodle.

**Spoilers go where?**

There are spoilers in this fic for **Civil War** sporadically, **Mighty Avengers: The Ultron Initiative** specifically, and **Marvel back-canon** in general up to the fifth issue of **Secret Invasion**. There are no real spoilers for the Secret Invasion other then-- Skrull came in droves to attack the earth, people and places were absolutely decimated, Tony received an evil Skrull virus that destroyed all of his old tech, and the Helicarrier blew up. Anything else we say about the Skrull War is made up and purely of this AU. We don't really explore the Skrull Invasion much since it's not the focus of this story and we don't know how the SI affected our beloved Marvel Characters psychologically or physically. We mostly use it as fodder to further the storyline.

**Divergences:**

The only other explanation needed would be where we diverge from Marvel canon. The story starts about a month after the tail end of the Skrull Invasion. The events in The Ultron Initiative (namely Ultron turns Tony into a girl) take place AFTER the Skrull Invasion.

Brand New Day didn't happen. It just didn't. We like Peter and MJ.

Rhodey isn't a cyborg thingy… _thank goodness right?_

Hank is with the Avengers in a purely support/research capacity.

Oh! And just for your own personal assurances, in our story Tony Stark has a penthouse one floor above the Avenger's floors of the Tower. So it goes roof, Tony's Pent House, the Three Avengers floors, a gym, Tony's office, random labs including one Tony gave Hank, other offices, the main lobby, and underneath the building is Tony's garage. (I was thinking about drawing a diagram .)

Join us! Yes please join us! oO

After our fic is complete feel free to add mothballs of your own. I mean seriously, if you ever wanted Steve and Tony to have a kid and didn't want to do any of the hard work explaining _that _one away here's your chance.

We hope you all enjoy our insanity!

--

Issue #: 00- Prologue- Conception

He was back…

Had it really only been a month?

It was almost unbelievable the amount of change one man could affect in such a short amount of time… that was unless you _knew_ Cap.

His return, and their public reconciliation it seemed, was all that was needed. Brilliant men and women were in and out checking on the red, white and blue Avenger to be certain he was himself.

Same said _brilliant_ persons who had previously been informed by the anti-registration side about the growing concern for sleeper agents of the invading Skrull army; Reed, as usual, being the one to figure out how the Skrulls were hiding.

_God, how could he have not talked with him about this sooner? Especially considering Reed's extensive Skrull background…_

_When had he forgotten how to trust anyone? Hadn't the Illuminati been created for that exact purpose?_

Anyway one viewed life, nothing was easy. At the heart of it, no matter what words had been said before and during the Civil War, Cap's death had affected them all. After the burial, any depiction portrayed was only as the hero Cap truly was. Tony had made sure of it. It was the least he could do.

_Steve was back. _

Tony found that for the first time in his life he didn't really care about the _why_ or the consequences of such actions, and he most certainly didn't want to know the _how_ for fear of shattering this dream and losing Cap forever.

He'd learned his lesson with the unThor. Sometimes there were things you didn't know; sometimes you just had to let things be.

And all he wanted was to _be_ with Steve.

But he couldn't find the words. They were lost to him. He'd said them all to a dead man on the SHIELD Helicarrier. He couldn't hope to have him now. To be worthy of someone who could take a broken America, broken heroes, broken families and help them find each other again; A man who could actually save the world.

Cap could help all of them; he could help them because he was a real hero, unlike Tony Stark.

--

Tony could see his reflection in the glass windows of a skyscraper. Long hair, lips sharper and fuller than before, lashes longer, the weight on his chest unfamiliar but not unappealing.

This was he, Tony Stark, just as he had sometimes fantasized. Thought about secretly when he was younger.

He admired women; they were beautiful and capable and always seemed to have something he wanted. And as an adult, certain thoughts were inevitable… _If he were a woman, maybe Steve would want him._

Seeing Cap standing on ground level, saying things he could barely hear, as the Avengers (some old and some new) tried to get his new form to come down... They were trying to reason with him but he wasn't there. He was above them all and _she_ was the one in control.

--

He couldn't remember much more after that. He woke as a man days later. He was told they were worried about losing him. It rang hollow. He thanked Reed and Hank for putting him right. They tried to get him to remain in the cold hospital bed. They said they'd been having problems with some of the scans.

They thought it might have been interference due to Extremis or Ultron taking him over _or whatever_. It wasn't their business. And Tony hadn't really been listening…

Normally, he would have cared, he should have cared, should have been interested and even participated in figuring out why they'd had trouble, but really he wasn't in the mood. His life had just been made a public mockery; and he had done things as Ultron...

He didn't want to think about it. Things like that made him thirsty. He couldn't afford it right now. _He was fine and he was going home._ If something needed to be checked he could do it himself… _later_.

--

Returning to the Tower, darkness pervaded the Avengers' floor. Everyone was elsewhere it seemed. The quiet was almost inviting, though Tony had secretly traveled to this floor in hopes of someone to talk to. He shrugged it off and headed back to his room, head bowed, lost in thought.

Suddenly he knocked into someone. A warm solid someone, with the clean sweat smell of Cap. Tony lost his balance but strong arms held him. He didn't fall.

"You're not supposed to be back yet." Came the soft baritone of Cap's voice. He whispered his concerns, always considerate to others possibly sleeping behind the Tower's doors.

"Surprise." Tony wanted to hit himself for all of the things he couldn't say.

Cap shook his head, his arms still holding Tony almost tenderly. The darkness shadowed their features giving a forgiving and almost anonymous feel. Tony considered saying...doing... _something_ even if he had no right to.

"Tony," Cap breathed softly near Tony's body. He could feel it on his neck. "with Ultron, I was so afraid. I had been… and now I'm back and I've thought of all of the things I meant to say, to do." Cap's voice caught. "I thought I was going to lose you… again… before I could ever tell you I-"

Tony pressed forward and kissed Cap's lips. He couldn't let him finish that sentence. He could hope for one fleeting kiss that it meant what he wished it did, and maybe for at least that moment it might be true.

The kiss was light. Cap's mouth was open and loose. Fearing this chance may never come again Tony began to slip his tongue inside the warm cavern of Steve's mouth. He heard a groan slip from Cap, and felt hands grip his arms almost painfully. They shifted closer, and while Tony had initiated the kiss, Cap was now taking full control, pushing Tony up against one of the doors in the hall.

Tony's mind began to reel. Full of desire, he couldn't even think as to which Avenger's room they were up against_; it was either Spiderman or Carol's_ and he wasn't sure he cared.

The arms released him only to loosen his collar and then tighten the embrace once more. Tony writhed against Cap trying to regain control of the kiss. His hands splayed across Cap's back, moving down his spine.

Which of course meant that Steve released him and backed up.

The hall was dark and he could smell Cap so strongly. Echoes of Steve's touch danced across his skin. He heard footsteps moving even further away. His heart was pounding.

_This wasn't fair. They were so close._ _What happened…?_

Tony's heart plummeted in his chest. _Steve had just come to his senses_.

Tony's vision began to blur. Cap was back in Tony's life, but nothing could be like it had been before. He'd just made sure of that…

Tony's entire family had been the Avengers. They had been his home. When that had been destroyed by Wanda's powers, Tony had barely enough strength to pick up the pieces. The one constant in all of this had been Steve. Cap kept Tony focused and they had understood each other as friends, as brothers in arms.

But now Tony had crossed a line. He'd done something that could never be undone. They might have had a chance to revive their old partnership, the way things used to be… that should have been all that Tony had hoped for. But now that Tony had outed himself to Cap, they could never go back. He could never go home again.

With thoughts of Civil War and Ultron and everything else that had happened eating at his brain, Tony heard himself release a short choked sob before slumping to the floor.

The footsteps stopped and the steady tap of feet against floorboard neared.

"I can't."

Looking up, Tony was surprised to see Cap leaning over him. He could feel the pained look on Steve's face even if he could barely see it in the dark.

He felt Cap's calloused hand brush against his brow to cup his cheek and tilt his head up toward him.

"I can't take advantage of you like this."

"Advantage." Tony mouthed the word.

"Tony, I can't just be with you for one night. Especially not this night… after everything you've been through," Cap looked at Tony on the floor. He looked away. "You're vulnerable right now. I couldn't in any good conscience…"

"Cap," Tony interrupted him. "Steve. Who are you to decide whether or not I'm vulnerable… or _want _this? And _not_ for just one night. _I kissed you_."

Tony batted Cap's hand away. "If you don't want me _say it_… but don't leave me like this. I've spent half a year, _with the war_ --and after-- without you."

Tony looked up at Cap through the shadows. "I've also spent more than a decade with you in it, wanting you more than life itself! I don't deserve you. But this whole thing has shown me that even if I don't, it doesn't mean I shouldn't try because… I lov—because I need you and I regret it everyday that I waited until it was too late to tell you… last time. I can't make that mistake again."

_I won't survive that mistake again_.

Cap was instantly holding him once more, but now the hands were light and warm. The hug itself was undemanding, but the kiss that followed was a promise.

Pulling his lips away, Cap's breath hot by his ear, the blond released a guttural whisper, "Tony, if you want this to last, I don't ever want to hear you saying something like that about yourself. You fucking well deserve to be loved."

Tony eyes went wide. He released a shaky breath.

When the profanity left Cap's lips, Tony's fading arousal peaked once more and their next kiss was passionate and primal. This was about need and want.

Moving against each other more quickly now, Tony felt hands helping him to his feet and unbuttoning his shirt while he himself reached for the clasps on the crotch of Cap's uniform beneath the hem of his pants.

This time it was Cap who ended up pressed hard against the same mystery Avenger's door...

Feeling Tony's motions, Cap shifted, groaning, and slammed his elbow into the oak door splintering it slightly and rattling its hinges.

Like shocked teenagers, the pair grabbed their abandoned clothing and held hands running to Cap's room. Tony's might have been more luxurious but it was an entire floor above them… and honestly, who could wait?

--

In Cap's room the pair caught their breath. Well Tony did. Cap was too busy laughing.

Tony looked around the room. It was decorated in modesty, containing mostly bookshelves and art supplies, while the shield hung lovingly above the bed. Tony located a lamp and turned on. It bathed them in a warm glow and created a peaceful ambiance, one that didn't break the atmosphere. At least not anymore than Cap's deep chuckle. The sound of it made Tony's body fill with heat.

By the lamp Tony noticed a photo of himself and Cap with the original Avengers, his arm over Cap's shoulder. Knowing that the items in this room were everything Cap held dear Tony allowed himself to smile as he realized that he himself loved this photo so much he'd had a portrait commissioned of it for the Avengers Mansion. It had miraculously survived the destruction and now stood, slightly worse for the wear, above his bed upstairs in the same position Cap's shield was now displayed.

Tony turned to Cap, when the other man had finally contained his laughter. Determined to get the mood back, Tony moved forward, and grabbed at the arm that had hit the door. There wasn't even a bruise but Tony slipped his tongue out and lightly twirled it around the area. Pulling away, he blew on the slight wet trail before ending with a kiss.

"That feel better?" He smirked, looking at Cap invitingly.

This was enough to cause determined hands to release his belt buckle, pants slipping easily to the floor without them. He pulled down Steve's own night clothes, revealing Cap's uniform pants still on. He couldn't help but smile as he moved his head down level with Cap's hip and used his mouth to open the last clasp on Cap's costume.

Tony was an expert at getting people out of clothing.

Cap mumbled happily as Tony pulled down his blue scaled pants.

Before he could even touch Cap he heard Steve gasping the word _bed_ while carding his hand through Tony's hair. Tony moved away and tried to stand; Cap pulled him up the rest of the way and steadied him on top of the white quilted covers.

--

Hours went by before they woke to crusted sheets and the smell of sex. Cap stepped into the shower first. After he finished, he said he would meet Tony in the kitchen and gave him a kiss.

Tony took a long warm shower thinking of what they would do now. Of everything that could finally be said.

Walking back into the room he borrowed a shirt and boxers off of Cap, and threw everything else, including the bedding, into the laundry shoot. He was glad he paid his people well… They certainly put up with a lot from him.

--

Stumbling for lack of caffeine, Tony moved to the dinette attached to the kitchen. Seated there already was Peter, who immediately turned to him apologizing.

His brain was still half asleep. He couldn't seem to get a word Pete was saying. Finally, Cap peeked around from the kitchen with two plates of waffles and, thank God, coffee.

As he began sipping it, he heard Cap tell Peter to speak slowly and clearly...

"I woke up and I swear the door was just like that, I don't sleep walk anymore. That's why I have MJ, she keeps me still- sometimes. I mean obviously we… but I dunno how the door broke…" Peter looked about ready to cry.

It took all of Tony's willpower not to spray his coffee across the table. Cap let out a soft chuckle before looking at him beyond where Peter sat.

And for the first time in a long time Tony felt loved.

"What, what are you guys smiling about?"

He was home.

--


	2. Chapter 1 Scrap Metal

Issue #: 01- Chapter 1- Scrap Metal

This was getting ridiculous.

Two weeks. He'd felt like this for two weeks! It was bad enough that he'd had to bolt out of a committee meeting to throw up down the hall, but now he was about to be late to an Avengers debriefing... yet again.

It was only a matter of hours before the media decided he was drinking.

Not that _Cap_ would ever think that, but Tony honestly didn't have an explanation for this.

He wasn't supposed to get sick. Hadn't gotten sick in forever (if you didn't count evil Skrull viruses) and he didn't want to lie to Steve when he started asking questions about it.

_Maybe it _was _best to avoid him…_

Difficult to avoid the person you shared a bed with. Luckily that was what the lab in his garage was for. And hopefully _there_ he could figure this all out. He just couldn't stay awake as long as he'd like to lately, no matter how much coffee he drank.

_Maybe he should eat something…_

The thought of food made Tony's stomach feel like it was being clamped in half. He sighed as he lifted his head over the toilet bowl once more.

This was getting ridiculous.

--

Tony held onto his stomach as he made his way up from the garage to the Avengers Floor. He swung the meeting room's heavy oak door open to a sea of faces all staring at him.

His mind warned "intervention," but he forced his heart to stop pounding as he took his seat next to the fully garbed, grand, and imposing Captain America.

_Sometimes his boyfriend could be _very_ intimidating._

"Hey." He breathed, placing his arm next to the red, white, and blue Avenger.

No response. Nothing but a slightly clenched jaw. _Great._

"Tony! Good. We were just about to get to the part in the meeting where we talk about metal things." He heard Peter say from his seat across the table.

"Metal things?" Tony asked automatically, forcing his gaze from Cap's profile.

_He wouldn't look at him. _

"Yeah. The armor specs you were compiling for if we hear anything more from those armored mole men guys." Peter continued, getting a _shushing_ sound from Carol (as Luke Cage was still talking up at the front of the room).

"They aren't mole men." Tony barely registered Clint whisper to Peter, before another wave of nausea built up inside of him.

"They come from _underground_." Peter retorted, making a face.

Tony tightened his hands around his stomach.

"The armor specifications that you were working on ALL last night. You _do_ remember right?" Cap finally spoke. Tony looked over at him._ So _that's_ what Cap was upset about._

Tony had been sleeping down in the garage lately… and had been ignoring Steve for longer then that.

Tony should have been thinking up ways to smooth this all over, but he was suddenly caught up in a realization. He hadn't actually _finished_ those armor reports. He was supposed to be letting the Avengers know about any weak points he could analyze from what little they knew about these newcomers' armor, and he'd fallen asleep last night before it had actually been completed. And had spent all morning in the bathroom.

Panic rising in his chest, he silently accessed the Extremis data ports and turned every single computer he owned, on. Hopefully he could finish this thing up before it was his turn to speak. If he hadn't been spending half the night trying to do self-diagnostics on his _own_ armor systems he could've had this done.

"Yeah. That." He stated so Cap didn't think he was ignoring him, and closed his eyes.

As the data flowed between the relay systems Tony could feel his nausea grow. It was almost as though the more he accessed anything to do with the Extremis the worse it got. Tony just wished the tests he'd run last night had been more conclusive. They had really started to not make any sense at all.

Maybe he needed to run a test or two on his _own_ diagnostic software. _But he'd never had to do_ that_ before…_

As the data report for the suits was finally coming to an end, Tony felt someone nudge him on the shoulder. He snapped his eyes open.

"Welcome back." He heard Carol say, somewhat disapprovingly.

"Sleeping on the job Stark?" Clint asked. "They always yell at me whenever I fall asleep during one of these. Well, _he_ yells at me." Hawkeye's thumb gestured toward Cap.

"Sorry, I was finishing something up." Tony replied, ignoring the look of concern he got from Steve.

Tony just wanted this to be over with.

He moved to stand up at the motion of Carol pointing him toward the front of the room. He caught himself halfway up out of the chair, a huge wave of nausea hitting him with force close to the point of vomiting yet again. He lowered himself back down into the chair slowly and again tried to ignore the looks of concern he received from _everybody _this time.

He smiled a fake easy grin he'd perfected years before, and leaned back causally in his seat.

"Yeah." He stated calmly. He raised his left hand to his chin, and with a flick of his right wrist (and Extremis) turned on the screen at the front of the room to display the partial scans he'd been able to manage two days ago when they'd fought these armored under-dwellers for the first time.

The Rock Armor (as Tony was calling it) was structurally dissimilar to his own sleek armor. It had obviously been designed to dig and cut through solid stone, and whatever denser elements the earth hid inside her belly. He'd even named the two armor designs he had rough schematics on, "Rock Crusher" and "Terra-Denser".

As the designs swiveled slowly on the screen, Tony began his report.

"Well, as you can see, these things aren't made for long distance fighting." Tony stated. He heard someone whisper, "_We can_?"

He ignored it. He also ignored the sudden urge to dry-heave.

"It's safe to assume that the armors were built underground. And would therefore be adapted to that battle plain. Tight, enclosed spaces they have to tunnel or crawl through would be my best guess." Tony stopped and took a deep breath.

_He wasn't going to throw up. He wasn't going to throw up._

He gave another smile and continued.

"In the Rock Crusher, the worst part of it are those steel crushing claws, and there are _eight_ of them designed into the armor. And, as I'm sure Luke can attest to... you don't want to get caught by _any part of those_." He gave a nod to Luke Cage, who leered back at him, tenderly rubbing his shoulder.

"I can't tell if the occupants of the armor have eight arms as well or if it's just for environmental design, but the only weakness I could find with the scan I could manage, was a design flaw in the links between those claws and the main framework of the body. I'd say aim for those spots. And since this armor has no projectiles, I'd also suggest the British Castle method of attack."

"Stand far away and chuck things at it?" Clint asked, almost approvingly.

"Precisely." Tony replied, wearing a smile he didn't feel. "And the Terra-Denser Armor," Tony began, bringing up those schematics. "is really fun. It takes whatever it has around it and super condenses the material. I'm really not sure how they're doing it, but it's like dropping _10,000 leagues under the sea_ in about 12 seconds flat."

"Let's just hope we don't get the bends!" Peter piped in. Half of the room glared at him. "_Or not_…" he murmured.

"I'm not sure how far a reach this thing has, or how broad the ray can be. I couldn't get a good enough scan. But it's at least the length of a taxi cab, as we all know."

The rest of the room nodded in agreement and Tony tried to start back up on the rest of his report. It was getting difficult to think about all of this. Tony laid his hands down on the desk in front of him. Taking a few more breaths he opened his mouth to speak again when he could feel urge to vomit rise urgently. He leaned his head forward.

"Tony? Are you—"

"I'm fine." He stated on auto-pilot. "Just sick to my stomach." He added.

"For two weeks? I wonder why?" Hawkeye stated. Tony looked up at him, catching the tail end of Carol smacking him on the backside of the head.

"_What_?" Hawkeye asked hotly. "We said we were gonna say something to him if it happened again!"

"We said _maybe_!" Carol responded. Hawkeye crossed his arms.

Tony looked over at Cap. There was a sadness in his blue eyes, and concern as well. "_They_ said maybe." Cap stated quietly. He placed his hand on top of Tony's. "You don't get sick."

Tony looked down again. Those eyes hurt to look at worse then his stomach felt. "I know."

"What is this?" Cap asked even more quietly. Tony felt horrible for not talking to Steve earlier about this alone. He knew the other man would have _much_ preferred a private conversation between the two of them to being ousted in front of the entire Avengers roster.

"I don't know yet. I'm working on it." Tony cringed.

It had nothing to do with his stomach.

"You could've told us." Cap continued, folding his arms slowly. The "us" in this sentence equaled "me." You could have told _me_. He couldn't have made it any clearer then if he'd screamed it at Tony.

"I just emailed everyone the rest of my report." Tony stated without affect.

Then he stood without looking back.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked him, his sympathy showing.

_To stab myself in the eye. _

"To work on my armor." Tony stated aloud.

"I don't think the armor's the problem." He could barely hear someone say as the door closed behind him.

--

Tony tried to rush back to the garage, but barely made it to the bathroom near the kitchen before his head was once again in a toilet.

After a few minutes, he heard the door open behind him. Tony couldn't move to look around, but he knew it was Steve. He recognized the sounds of Cap's soft leather uniform rubbing against itself, the purposeful clunking sound his boots made. Tony tried to take a deep breath to speak to him, but ended up heaving into the porcelain.

Tony heard the hum and moan of stretching leather as Cap crouched down beside him.

"Cap," Tony finally managed.

"Shhh," the blond man soothed, moving his warm hand across the small of Tony's back.

His gloves were off.

"It's ok." Cap began rubbing Tony's back smoothly and gently. "You're ok." Finally he whispered, "We're ok." Tony let go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Cap continued kneading Tony's back.

Tony relaxed into the tactile comfort and felt the nausea drift away. Eventually he leaned back into Cap's embrace. Steve held Tony, the scales of his uniform biting into Tony's shoulder blades. Tony couldn't have felt more at home.

"What have you learned so far?" Cap finally asked, once Tony's breathing had become deep and regular. "About this?"

Tony shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense." He said quietly, though there was tension in his voice. "It's like my entire diagnostics system ate its own logic emulator."

"Can you use someone else's program to run diagnostics? See if it's a flaw in the system?"

Tony scoffed. "My systems don't have flaws."

"Clearly." Cap responded, gesturing toward the toilet.

Tony sighed. "Seriously though, I can't use another person's diagnostic systems. It'd be like giving them a full scan of my armor, the Extremis interface, any random tech I had lying around, and a box of cookies."

"Well when you put it that way… this is _much_ better."

Tony ignored the sarcasm.

"Maybe we could talk to Henry McCoy or Hank?" Cap tried again.

"Yeah." Tony responded, leaning his head back against the curve of Cap's neck. "Maybe."

"I know you don't like to share when things are bothering you, Tony." Cap began. Tony could tell he was trying to choose his words carefully. "But, we're all here for you. And we want to help you through anything you need us for. I'm really clueless about these things… you know that. I need you to ask me."

Tony took a breath to respond when Steve's Avenger Communicator started blaring. Tony had left his down in the garage. Tony sat up quickly to allow Cap to answer. "What?"

"I hope you read your boyfriend's email, Cap. _We_ all did. And a good thing too! Those rock-bots have been spotted over by the Kennedy Airport!" Clint's voice echoed in the small room.

"They're not robots." Tony stated sourly.

"Yeah whatever." Hawkeye continued. "Where are you guys anyway?"

"I'm on my way." Cap responded, quickly standing and ending the communication link. Tony stood too.

Cap shook his head and raised his hand to block Tony from stepping forward. Before he could open his mouth to speak Tony beat him to it. "You're _not_ grounding me. This is nothing. I went up against them _two days ago_. If anything I'm better prepared."

Cap met his gaze. It was a _long _three seconds.

"Fine." The blond snapped. "Hurry up and get dressed. You don't want to keep anyone waiting."

"Way ahead of you." Tony said stripping off his shirt and pants and letting the Extremis paint him in gold. He opened the bathroom door to find his suit almost halfway to him in the hallway.

As the individual metal pieces linked snuggly into place around his body Tony smiled. "It takes what… thirty minutes for you to get all the parts of your uniform on? I know that's why you wear it around all day." Tony's helmet locked into place. "Honestly, Cap, you'd fail as a fireman." Tony laughed, the sound metallic and distant now that he was Iron Man.

Steve grinned despite himself. He pulled on his cowl and picked up his shield, which he'd placed right outside the bathroom door.

"Hold on tight." Iron Man cautioned as he hugged Cap with one arm around the waist and flew to catch up with the other Avengers.

"Always do." Cap responded.

--

Iron Man had left Cap behind on the ground in the thick of things. The Rock Crusher armor was faster then it looked, snaking its way through the rough asphalt landing strip on the south end of the airport. Two of them had been heading towards the nearest terminal when Tony had last seen them.

He had easily accessed the airport navigation systems via Extremis and had already rerouted any incoming travel including airplanes, jets, helicopters, and even the buses that made their rounds. Ms. Marvel and Spiderman were redirecting people to safety as they disembarked from their already boarded planes.

Tony was currently trying to relay information he was gathering from his (newly refurbished yet irritatingly limited) satellite system to the rest of the team. Tony could see the tectonic movement of the earth before some of the monstrous armors could break their way free. He was trying to give everyone a head's up.

/Hawkeye to your left, a Crusher, below the ground by the smoke stack./

/Cap, your 4 o'clock!/

/Luke… oh good you see it…/

Iron Man lowered himself down to the ground, as he heard screams of a few bus drivers, who had obviously been on break, dart past a platform too far out for Peter and Carol to be patrolling.

They saw him at once and rushed over to him.

"Iron Man! What should we do? Tell us where to go!"

"Do you know if they're attacking any place else? My husband's in Queens!"

"Can I stay and help you fight?"

Tony paused for a fraction of a second before whipping around and adjusting his armor to emit a shield around himself and the employees huddled near. A low-grade energy blast was repelled and absorbed by the shield. A Terra-Denser had almost caught him off guard.

"Can't we talk about this?" Tony asked through Iron Man's voice, flexing his shield's up to 35.

"We've tried. This is the only way." The response sounded like the Thing would sound if inside the Iron Man armor.

"The only way is to kill innocent people? I'm sorry I think you're a little late to this game. _Those_ super villains died out in the 60s. Now it's all about subterfuge and alien technology." Tony was slowly moving towards an outcropping of concrete pillars, the people he was protecting moved with him. He had to try and get this guy out into a more open space, one where he couldn't use as much material around him to super compress.

"Innocent! You call them innocent but you have no idea the destruction they have caused. They are among the worse."

"Tell me." Tony tried, stalling for more time.

"No! The time for talk is over! We will _make_ you all see!"

_It's like a line out of a crappy comic book…_ Tony complained to himself.

Swiftly the Terra-Denser armor began to recharge its main cannon.

This one wouldn't be just a harmless low-grade blast, this one would mean business. Tony felt confident that his own armor could withstand it, but he couldn't play lab rat with all of these people nearby.

_And we're out of time… _

Suddenly Tony had an idea. At the speed of thought he powered down his shields and launched himself at the rock armor. He wrapped himself around the other man, past where the cannon could reach and blasted them both up into the air.

A yell of fear came from within the other man's armor. Tony began to power up his chest plate. The shock wave of using his uni-beam so close to a target would send him spiraling, but Tony figured the distance between himself and the ground was enough to get his systems back on-line before anything bad happened.

And then suddenly…

Nothing.

His armor powered down.

Total systems failure.

"Shit…" was all that Tony could think of to say.

They were spiraling in the air, hurling towards the ground. Tony tried to free himself from his captive but it was no use. The armor wouldn't respond at all.

Tony suddenly felt like passing out.

As he struggled to keep conscious, he could feel the other man in the rock armor once again power up his main cannon. The man fired it in rapid successive bursts towards the ground, slowing their descent. His armor obviously wasn't meant for flight, but the cannon was getting the job done.

They hit the ground at the same time, slamming in different directions as they unceremoniously tore apart from each other upon impact.

Tony landed on his back, staring straight up at the sun, and tried desperately to move.

The rock armor dragged itself up to its knees and the man inside glared directly at the golden Avenger.

"What the hell did you do?" Tony yelled, his voice sounding small and trapped with the armor powered down.

"I did nothing. Your systems are draining."

"I noticed that! Why the--" Tony stopped yelling in an attempt to properly breath.

The rock armor dragged itself over to where Tony helplessly lay.

It raised its main cannon once again.

Tony cringed, his heart racing, but instead of a full assault, the cannon blast released the pressure lock of Tony's helmet. The rock armor ripped it off and Tony gasped at the fresh air.

Tony honestly didn't know what to think next.

His armor began to reboot, then crashed almost immediately.

"So this is what scanned my brothers during our previous mission." The man in the suit stated, his voice still imitating a metallic version of Ben Grimm. He bent over Tony, crushing his arms down with his knees, he raised his hand to Tony's throat so Tony couldn't move his head either way. "I think it only fair to return the favor."

And there it was on top of him, crushing his armor… scanning him. It made Tony sick to think about. He cried out, his armor fluctuating on and off.

_What the hell was this?_

The Extremis' systems were perfect, he'd run the diagnostics himself. He knew there wasn't a virus, or a computer program, or anything _else_ unnatural inside of his systems. Why was everything malfunctioning?

_Why did it always have to go from bad to worse?_

Suddenly the man loosened his grip on Iron Man's neck. His scan was complete.

He didn't need Tony anymore.

"Go on! Do it!" Tony said bitterly. None of the other Avengers were even remotely close to them, and with his armor off-line he couldn't call anyone for help. There was no escaping this one. _Tony didn't want to die._

The silver eyes behind the earth-armor softened. "I do not kill those who are with child. It brings me no honor." The gray rock slide of a man inside the Terra-denser suit let go of Tony's throat. He got up and simply walked away, leaving Tony lying on the ground, on his back, helplessly looking up at the sun.

What?

_What?_

Tony tried to laugh. He _tried _to. No sounds would come forth. He felt another wave of nausea sweep over him. He looked helplessly to his left trying to will his armor back on so he could at least roll to his side.

Tony's mind couldn't complete full sentences, and it wasn't because what the rock man said that didn't make any sense, it was because it made _too much sense_. Everything he'd been detecting in his scans, all of the changes in his blood chemistry, his neural pathways, his attachments to the Extremis systems…

It was all in preparation for…

This time Tony did laugh and barely noticed when his armor stoically announced that it had reboot itself. He rolled to his side still laughing.

It was hysterical.

Suddenly an explosion to his left snapped Tony back into place.

Not even remembering to retrieve his helmet he walked toward the battleground.

--

Cap saw Tony amble up.

He saw him, but he couldn't much do anything at the moment. Not with a rock-crusher arm coming towards him full throttle. (Apparently they could detach…)

Tony just stood there, his helmet wasn't even on.

Cap twisted with his shield held above his head and slammed it down into the ground breaking the armored limb in two.

Tony continued to stand there, like a child in a classroom waiting for his turn to speak.

"What?" Cap breathed, his body tight with adrenaline.

"I have to leave." Was all Tony said.

"_What?_" Cap said, trying to comprehend, his arms lowering to his side.

"I have to go." Tony stated, not quite focusing on Cap at all.

A scream of a child off in the distance made Cap turn his head.

"Tony… go…" He turned back to face him. "But you need to take care of this."

--

_Because we can't have you being a liability to the team_—Tony filled in the rest as he watched Captain America run off in the direction of the noise.

His heart was torn, he was so tired, and he had to leave. _Didn't he?_

Tony tried not to look back as he rocketed towards Stark Tower hoping his suit wouldn't shut itself off at 20,000 feet above sea level.

--


	3. Chapter 2a Interference

Chapter 2 (Part 1 of 2)

* * *

Moth- 03- Chapter 2.1- Interference

Tony eyed the scan for the fourth time.

It was normal.

_Well of course it was normal…_

He looked at it again.

See, he was fine!

_He didn't feel fine…_

He'd spent the past six hours in the lab going over everything he could. Everything without slicing himself open and looking with his own two eyes. He'd even begun designing new imaging equipment from scratch.

He was beginning to feel desperate.

Tony sat on a stool leaning over a lab table considering the scan from another angle. It didn't change the results. Using a comparative to his last scan prior to the Ultron incident everything appeared to match perfectly.

_What was it? What was he missing? The pieces had been there… he could have sworn_.

He wished his head would stop pounding.

Feeling the bile rise up in his throat Tony lurched upward and toward the bathroom, his chair falling over in the process.

Once again he found himself on bended knee as he emptied the remaining contents of his stomach.

Feeling his eyes tear up, he wretched again, and nothing more came.

_Yeah, if anything the scan proved it… He was fine... Totally fine… Totally and completely and utterly… fine. _

Tony closed his eyes.

Perhaps it was psychological, the stresses, good and bad, getting to him. _But what had that man said, the one that reminded him of the Thing?_

His head hurt to remember.

He went to stand up and go back to his lab but found the nausea had him buckling. With a shiver he knelt by the toilet and decided to go over the data from there.

_No use wasting time._

But there really wasn't anything new in this report when compared to the previous several.

His thoughts returned to the mission.

_He'd left. _

He'd left the Avengers there and let them all down_… again_… and he didn't even have a good reason.

Tony willed himself to stand and began to reboot the scanning system using Extremis.

_One more time couldn't hurt_.

Someone tugged open the garage door. Tony froze halfway in his step.

To his relief it was only Peter. The red, white, and blue Avenger was still at large.

"Hey Pete." Tony stated, with a perfected nonchalance, as he continued to set up the next bio scan.

"Hey," Spiderman responded. "I thought you might be missing this."

He was still in costume, but his mask was hanging from his waist. He had Tony's faceplate in his hand.

"How are… things?" Peter asked, pensively looking around the lab. Papers and schematics of the armor as well as Tony's bio reports were strewn all about the place. Parts of armor and random mechanical oddities were covering most of the work benches and some of the floor. "Keeping busy huh?"

"Yeah." Tony said distractedly, lowering the front panel of the full body scanner into place.

"Why exactly do you have that?" Peter asked, moving some schematics paper off to one side and claiming a chair for himself. He set the faceplate on the table next to him.

Tony looked up at the scanner as a whole. "I help run a team of superheroes; we have some pretty weird days."

"Hmm… Thursdays." Peter nodded knowingly, looking over at the table covered in crumpled pieces of paper.

"Yeah, and then there are the Brood, Doom-bots, vampires… that time I was a girl."

"I remember that one!" Peter mused. He watched Tony hook a cooling coil into place.

"You need any help with that?"

He heard a metallic clack and saw Tony emerge from the other side of the machine. "No I've got it."

Peter shrugged, standing up. "How do you scan yourself anyway? Aren't you_ in_ the thing when it's scanning you?"

"That's what Extremis is for." Tony stated, lining up the scanner to meet his temple. Peter watched him work, waiting for him to start the scan.

Tony paused.

He looked up at the machine and then back over to Peter.

"Can I help you with anything Pete?"

"Uh, I don't really think so. Cap kinda wasn't his usual jovial sainthood-in-the-making-fearless-leader self at the debriefing earlier. He basically told me my observation skills are "null and void"." Peter air-quoted. "I think he just didn't understand the _Toy Story_ references I was making." He looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to explain it to him." Tony said somberly.

"Yeah." Peter met his gaze. "You kind of took off huh?"

Peter watched the expression on Tony's face change. From regret, to pain, to fear, and then to something fake.

Tony had perfected _fake_. Something Peter had learned back in the war.

_But that was all behind them now. After everything that had happened with the Skrull._

"I just have to figure this out." Tony responded lamely.

Peter tried smiling at him. "What's going on anyway?"

Tony responded by folding his arms and looking exasperated.

"Can I help you with any of these reports?" Peter tried changing the topic, picking up a loose piece of paper that wasn't as crumpled as the rest. It was a biological scan of Tony's system and the Extremis interface, something that would have been purely electronic and insanely encrypted pre-Skrull days.

Studying it, Peter furrowed his brow. "This looks _fine_." _From what he could understand…_

Tony snatched the paper from Peter's hands and looked at it himself. "It _is_ fine." He responded. "None of the scans I'm taking show anything wrong with my body, blood chemistry, Extremis, anything!"

"Woe is you?" Peter asked not understanding how that was a bad thing. "Come on Boss that sounds like good news."

"It wasn't the case yesterday…or even this morning. I don't feel like everything is fine." Tony sighed. "And don't call me that." He voiced breathlessly.

"Yeah ok." Peter conceded. Sometimes you just couldn't look back. Some things just couldn't be the way they used to be. Peter had accepted that when Aunt May had moved out to live with Jarvis.

"I'm just really tired all of the time, and I can barely keep anything I eat down. And now there's this headache that feels like a bomb went off in my brain." Tony closed his mouth, a look of surprise on his face, as though his voice had acted on its own accord.

"And earlier on the mission…" Tony closed his eyes and quickly brought his hand to his head, wincing. The electronics in the room quickly spurted off and then back on.

"Whoa," Peter exclaimed.

"Sorry," Tony responded, he lowered his hand but his eyes were still closed. "What were we talking about?"

"Uh, maybe you should go to the doctor or something Tony."

"Hmm? No, that's not necessary really. Plus what are they going to say when I go in there and tell them I think that the machines in my head are making me sick?"

"Leave you in the padded cell you so desperately need." Peter responded, his eyebrow raised.

Tony let himself laugh. "Yeah."

"Ok, well maybe you can--"

"Is there anything else you need from me Peter?" Tony interrupted him.

Peter looked at the full body scanner. "No Tony. I'm fine. I just came down here to let you know that Cap is really worried about you."

Tony's eyes darkened.

"I even saw him sulking!" Peter said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Captain America doesn't sulk." Tony said, smiling slightly, his eyes towards the ground.

"See that's what _he_ said too! In those exact words! Doom-esque third person and everything! It was really intimidating." Peter mocked a voice full of awe and fear.

Tony smiled.

"So just… you should go talk to him maybe. It's not really good for the team when mom and dad aren't speaking. They're kind of beginning to eat him alive up there over you."

Tony's head shot up to look at Peter, who was retreating back towards the garage entranceway.

"Thanks Pete. For caring about me--about the team." He quickly corrected.

"Yeah." Peter said in a sad sort of way. "Anytime Tony. Really."

Tony watched the other man go before getting lost in his own thoughts once more.

He stepped into the scanner and forced himself to lie perfectly still before accessing Extremis once more.

A sharp pain cascaded down the side of Tony's skull by his temple. He flinched involuntarily, and tried again.

Better. Still painful but it worked.

Tony scanned himself for the fifth time that day.

--

The battle with the rock armor had been more frustrating then anything else. Cap had hoped that the debriefing might reveal some clue as to where they had come from or where they might strike next. They hadn't exactly been forthcoming themselves… And knew exactly when to retreat and elude capture. One of them might have spoken to Peter, but _he_ got so wrapped up in circumlocution it was difficult to tell where the battle details ended and the pop culture references began.

Thankfully no one had been seriously injured. He'd seen a few civilians off to the hospital, but it would have been much worse had the Avengers not been able to get there.

Cap was just happy that no pop ups of Skrull factions had interfered. They were still adequately frequent. Frequent enough to keep a direct link to Nick Fury on hand at all times.

Cap would be eternally grateful to Fury for returning and taking the position of Director of SHIELD off Tony's hands.

He'd never seen someone as emotionally numb as Tony had been then when he'd seen him again after returning. And Cap had spent a lot of time around soldiers. After his initial breakdown, Tony had actually avoided Cap like the plague, explaining it after they had gotten together as a defense mechanism. Steve made Tony feel, good or bad, it was still completely different from coping with your emotions by cutting them off from yourself. It had taken another life threatening experience with Ultron to make Tony realize he'd rather take his chance with potentially volatile emotions, then nothing at all.

_Tony._

Cap had left the Avengers debriefing with a clear intention to pummel Tony into his lab equipment... to yell at him until he told him all of his deepest darkest secrets… but he knew that wouldn't help anything.

He went to the gym instead.

--

Steve's entire body felt hot. It was flushed with frustration and adrenaline and it wouldn't do anyone any good. He had to get this out of his system, so he opted for the 300 pound weights in the gym on the floor below the Avengers' in Stark Tower.

It hadn't helped things that the debriefing hadn't gone exceptionally well. The Avengers in general seemed to be leaning quite heavily upon him for leadership ever since he'd gotten back, and it seemed that most of them were simply waiting for a moment's weakness in Tony Stark to turn on him.

Cap had put an end to that immediately, but the resentment could still be seen on a few faces. Clint and Carol specifically. He wasn't certain what had happened exactly, but they'd work it out in time. They were still a family after all, and he wouldn't have minded normally but at times like this he wished they would just function like the team used to.

_Something was wrong with his Tony, couldn't they get that? Couldn't they just run a debriefing on their own without getting at each other's throats? _

Of course it was probably still too soon, the shadow of the Civil War still rested above the Tower laughing at them all for how successfully it had divided the superhero community. Paranoia and mistrust due to the Skrull mixed in to create even deeper issues.

Turning his mental worries into physical exertion, Cap's reps increased in speed.

_Tony seemed a bit off kilter, but honestly it was just a stomach virus wasn't it? _

Cap had never seen Tony willingly leave an ongoing battle. He either finished it or passed out. Cap wasn't saying that he would rather have Tony Stark down for the count out on an open battle field, but still… this was something he couldn't place.

And then _again_ with the avoidance… Steve had hoped they were past that point. He didn't want to make Tony feel like he was crowding him, but he wanted to make sure Tony understood that he was always going to be there for him. He was always going to want Tony Stark in his life.

How could he make him see that? What could he do to make sure Tony knew there was absolutely nothing that could ever break them apart?

_This was forever. _

Cap pumped his arms harder. He'd lost count of the reps and his biceps were actually beginning to burn.

Maybe destroying metal things and then working out wasn't the best combination.

Janet Van Dyne walked into the gym.

She eyed him and smiled.

Seeing his face in return she promptly rushed over, making him halt his exercises.

"Whoa there big guy! Save some muscles for the other superheroes." Cap eyed her, breathing hard. He dropped the weight to the floor. It left a resounding clang throughout the mirrored enclosure and left a crack in the polished concrete.

Jan looked down at the barbell. "Tell me how you really feel…"

She tossed him her towel.

Simultaneously wiping the sweat off his neck and rubbing a sore muscle, Cap sat down hard on a bench. Jan joined him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her, catching his breath.

"What do you mean? I'm an Avenger!" She smiled at him.

"No I mean, I thought you were out of town…" He clarified.

"Yeah I was! Up until about 3 hours ago. Hank picked me up from the airport. We went out to eat and now I'm here. I'm still on west coast time zone though… so I thought I'd make myself tired with a little exercise."

Cap nodded, moving his arms and the towel into his lap.

"So… I'm glad you guys saved the airport earlier today. I might have been stuck in New Jersey if you hadn't rescued me." Jan nudged Cap with her shoulder.

He was busy looking at his hands.

"That serious huh?" She paused for a moment. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Cap clenched his jaw.

Jan sat quietly.

"Tony." Cap finally said.

"Hmm. Tony." Jan responded.

"He avoided me for weeks after I came back. I thought... I thought I'd really lost him for good." "Like there was nothing left of him to bring back." Cap paused, hanging his head down. "And then we… we really connected. We…" Cap stopped, beginning to blush.

Everyone around here seemed to know anyway but he'd never actually come out before… Never actually talked about it with someone else.

"You love him." Jan said softly.

"Yes. And I want him to get that. Really understand what that means. He's doing it again. One problem and he runs off thinking I won't understand or that I'll be bothered by it. I've learned the hard way that you can't help someone unless they are willing to help themselves… I thought we were past this." Cap wrung his fingers in the towel, his jaw set.

Jan considered Cap's face for a moment.

"Tony died when you were gone Steve." He looked over at her. "There's really no other way to describe it. I know he just doesn't want to disappoint you. See that worried look on your face… Yeah that one." She said pointing at him. "I think the best thing right now would to not be too hard on him. Sometimes people just need to discover they're worthy of a second chance." Jan stated, as though from personal experience.

"Let him come to you. This isn't anything big. Hank said it was just the flu right? Tony getting upset over the flu…" Jan laughed. "I bet he's down in his lab downloading McAfee into Extremis right now."

Cap offered a smile he didn't really feel.

_Just give Tony some time. _

_This is nothing. _

But as Cap fell asleep alone again that night, he couldn't help but feel that he and Tony would need to have a talk very soon.

--

Yeah. They'd need to have a talk.

_Sure_…

If Cap could ever _get_ Tony to talk to him.

It had been four days since the incident at the airport and the man was yet again avoiding Cap like he had the plague. He'd slept in the garage every night… the few instances Steve _had_ seen Tony he'd looked like death warmed over on a frostbitten day.

And the only words the man had spoken to him had been, "If Mrs. Arbogast calls tell her I'm out of the country." Cap honestly couldn't tell if he'd been joking.

Steve would have dedicated more time to think _healing and loving thoughts_ at Tony (like Jan had suggested), making Tony realize that the best way to handle this situation would be to actually talk things out with him, but unfortunately the Skrull had been feisty lately.

Their sects might be on the run, but when they reared their ugly heads to stir up resources like money or munitions, they left plenty of chaos in their wake.

Cap took all of his missions seriously, and loathe to admit it, sometimes pummeling into things you _knew_ were bad with the Winter Soldier by your side was a nice change from the morally ambiguous shades of gray he and the Avengers sometimes faced. _Of course fighting the Skrull presented unique challenges... _

Walking back into Stark Tower, after being scanned by the Skrull detector at the front door, Cap had finally had enough. He marched over to the elevator doors, flung his cowl off his face, and did the song and dance needed to get into the garage.

He listened silently to the low hum of the elevator as it descended. The calm of the lift was disparate to how every muscle in his body was currently tensed.

The elevator opened smoothly.

He opened the garage door and took a quick 180.

Tony looked up at him. His eyes speaking the words he wouldn't say.

Cap stared back.

"Did you win at least?" Tony finally asked; eying Cap's uniform and its none-too-subtle battle damage. It was the most he'd said all day.

Cap eyed his uniform. "I might need you to work on another one… If you're not too busy." He motioned to the room and its none-too-subtle lack of composure.

The lab mirrored its owner.

Tony's hair was sticking up all over, his goatee becoming less pronounced as the rest of his facial hair fought to catch up. He hadn't been sleeping. Steve hoped he'd at least been eating.

Captain America cursed himself silently for not coming down here sooner.

But that was neither here nor there... You can't take back the past.

"What the hell are you working on?" Cap was trying for composed.

Tony froze, looking over at his nearly completed new scanner.

"I have to figure something out."

"What? What do you need to figure out? Because all I can see is that you're in here working yourself to death over the same lab results. Peter told me they looked fine… Four days ago." Cap moved over to the desk Tony was standing behind.

"They look the same; they're practically identical to 3 months ago. But…" Tony said, handing Cap a read out from his latest scan.

"I can't read this…" Cap said, leafing through a few pages of the very thick report.

"But they're not. Something's off and I can't… think." Tony moved his hand to his temple, not hearing what Cap had said.

"Have you been in to work?" Cap asked, lowering his hands to the table.

"I've been talking to Rhodey." Tony answered, ending that discussion.

Cap looked at him. _What could be getting so deep under his skin?_

"Listen Tony, about the mission… I've seen you fight without regard for yourself. I've seen you drop from how badly you've been injured."

Tony twisted, looking uneasy.

"I've never seen you run before. You don't run away, not unless--"

"I'm not drinking!" Tony exclaimed, a fire returning to his eyes.

"I know you're not! But that leads me to believe that whatever this is… it's worse then that. So tell me--"

"I don't know. I don't know! I can't explain… I just, I know something's off. I can feel it in the machines, something's hiding and I can't get to it. And it's affecting my systems. It's… it's not going to go away if I just ignore it." Tony looked over at his new scanner.

But don't ignore me. Cap had thought to say, briefly eyeing what Tony was gazing at.

He had to do a double take. He wasn't quite sure how he'd missed it.

"Damn that's big." He mouthed.

"I don't even know if it will make a difference." Tony responded, taking a seat near the table. Cap leaned forward.

"That's why we should ask someone for help."

"I can't."

"We do have friends Tony. We can trust people with the armor."

"You have friends… they tolerate me because of you."

Cap pounded his fists into the table.

Tony looked up at him in surprise.

"That's not true." Cap said quietly. This discussion was getting away from him.

Tony's eyes lowered to the floor. His self-worth had always been caught up in how he was perceived by others. Asking help from anyone was correlated directly with being in the way or being useless, and therefore undeserving. Cap had spent most of the time he'd known the other man trying to discover a way to convince Tony otherwise. It seemed to be a losing battle, but one in which Cap would never concede.

"Just give me some more time, a chance to catch my breath." Tony replied, finally looking up at Cap. "I promise I'll slow down. I've been kind of obsessing over this huh?" He smiled.

Cap nodded, wanting to smile in return. He winced inwardly with what had to be said next. He had hoped he wouldn't have to, but there was no other choice.

"I have to put you on backup Tony." Cap said softly. "Just for a little while. Just until we know what this is." Cap started, trying to place his hands on Tony's shoulders.

Tony backed himself up, pushing his chair away. "I get it."

Cap lowered his arms, eyes still locked on Stark.

Tony's eyes were on the ground and finally Cap pulled his eyes away as well. They fell to the report on the table… he thumbed it again absently.

"You'll come up later tonight?" Cap chanced.

Tony's eyes were now held on his new scanner.

Steve sighed.

"Tony?"

He had no idea what else to say… He had to come up with another strategy. "I have to go take a shower."

Tony eyed him, furrowing his brow. "Ok." He stated.

"Ok." Cap smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Eat something..."

He walked out of the room.

Once in the elevator, Cap resisted the urge to hit his head against the wall _at how well that had gone _and looked down at the full body report still in his hand instead.

_He hadn't meant to take it with him. _

He thought about going back into the garage.

A flash of Tony's face days ago in the battle with the rock armor froze him in his tracks.

The look on Tony's face when he'd first walked into the lab hit him harder.

_Tony was his now._ He could actually say that out loud to other people.

He had a responsibility to take care of Tony. To watch over him. Cap had come to the realization that no one else would. Not even Tony himself at times.

Captain America took his responsibilities very seriously.

_If this had anything to do with the Extremis virus or with Ultron, or with something completely physical or even mental and Cap just what? Ignored it? Let Tony feel like he was all alone in that world?_

It'd be like the time Tony had hit rock bottom.

Steve would never forgive himself for that. Those memories hurt him as much as the war.

The elevator doors opened at the top of Stark Tower.

Cap clutched the medical report in his hand. He only knew of a few people who could read this comprehensively and none of them were Captain America.

Cap walked toward Hank Pym's room while trying to remember the phone number for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

--

Tony Stark found himself back in the bathroom. He wasn't currently dry-heaving but he'd grown weary of traveling back and forth.

He accessed the data via the Extremis and, once the initial pain had lessened, he'd tried to sift through all of the scans he'd taken to get an average. Some kind of game plan to compare the latest once the new diagnostic system was complete.

He wished he could just get it finished, but his head… _his head was splitting apart_. Tony had thought the nausea was bad… He could barely access Extremis without breaking into a cold sweat, yet his head was pounding like he'd been using _all data ports non stop for weeks_… He hadn't felt this way since the Hulk had returned, and had actually had a nose bleed that morning for no seemingly apparent reason.

Things might be getting a little out of hand.

He might need help.

Tony clenched his fists. Cap didn't need this on top of everything else. He didn't need to be constantly reminded that Tony was a sinking ship. That he'd only bring him down.

Maybe instead of being upset he should be relived by Cap's actions. He had known Tony was down here in the lab, and he hadn't come to see him all week. And an hour ago, the one time he had decided to come and visit…

_Cap had taken him off active duty practically assuring he'd spend even less time by Tony's side. _

Tony leaned back against the bathroom wall.

The tile felt cool and refreshing; he hung his head down pressing his neck back against it as well. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

_He knew that wasn't true. Cap wasn't thinking like that. He was just thinking about what was best for the Avengers…_ but it was getting difficult to keep things in perspective.

His vision was blurry from lack of sleep. He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. _Not much of an improvement_.

Tony just had to get this done. Find the piece that was missing. It would all fall into place after that. Tony winced, his temple throbbing. Maybe he shouldn't think anything else tonight. Take a break like he'd promised Cap.

_Yeah… not thinking sounded good. _

Cap entered Tony's lab to find the lights off, although he'd learned from personal experience that that was hardly an indication that Tony wasn't still in here working. The lights were motion activated but that didn't mean Tony wasn't in here working in his mind. Since Tony had gotten the Extremis who knew when or where he was working? There had even been one or two times that he had suspected Tony was working on quinjet schematics in the midst of a press conference.

Cap would have normally made it through the garage in pitch black, being so familiar with the place, but Tony's current increase in _productivity_ made the place a death trap even in full luminosity. As the lights flickered on, Cap searched the usual locations to find the engineer. There was no Tony by the work station, no Tony by the suit, no Tony on the cot...

Cap noticed that the bathroom door was ajar and the light was on.

He cautiously made his way toward it, and opened the door fully.

He found Tony Stark asleep, slumped in the corner, leaning against the back wall.

He narrowed his gaze.

A memory triggered in Steve's mind. Something his mother had told him once when he was young and had the flu; he had asked her if she thought it was disgusting cleaning up after him. She had kissed him on the forehead and said "One day you will find someone you love irrevocably, and even when they are _gross and sick," _She teased, using his words. "You will only see how much you love them and will honor the chance to help them, clean them up and get them to feel well again."

Looking at Tony now all he could think about was how much he honestly loved the man.

He sighed and leaned down by his side.

"Tony?" He whispered.

Tony came too with a jolt.

"Cap." He breathed harshly.

"Hey Baby. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be on the cot. If you want to join me."

Tony grabbed a hold of Cap's shirt, steadying his breath and blinking to clear his vision. "You're sleeping down here?"

"Yes. And don't worry about the light if you want to keep working. I can make myself sleep through anything." Tony looked up into his eyes.

"Yeah. Ok." He agreed.

Cap nodded and went to stand back up. Tony let go of his shirt.

--

Days passed and that's how life was. Cap spent his spare time down in the garage. He started working out down there, he'd read by the glow of Tony's computer screens, hand him a trash bin when he couldn't make it to the bathroom, and at night he'd sleep on the cot.

All the while Tony would try to finish his work, pass out, and have Jarvis nag him about eating more. Cap knew Tony couldn't last like this much longer, and he knew Tony was realizing that as well.

Until Tony wanted things to change, being down in the garage and showing Tony that no matter the circumstance they couldn't be separated anymore was all Steve could think of to do.

* * *

Stay tuned for more! Same bat-day, same bat-channel! (and by bat-day we mean tuesday :P)


	4. Chapter 2b Stop Error

Moth- Chapter 2b- Stop Error

* * *

Cap woke to the feeling of the cot sinking against Tony's weight adding to it. Cap rolled over on his side and moved as far to the wall as possible to let Tony lay down next to him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked sleepily. "Get anything done?"

"Finished it." Tony stated. He sounded like his jaw was clenched tight.

"So you ran your big scan?" Cap asked hopefully.

"Not tonight." He sounded tired.

Cap shot up in bed. "Why wait? We can get this done!" He stated, smiling. It was the closest approximation to good news he'd heard in a while.

Tony flipped to his back, his hands gripping his head.

"No. Steve. Morning. Morning." He said, his right hand shooting up, desperate against Cap's skin.

"Your head still hurt?" Cap asked him, lowering himself back down into the bed. He slipped his arm under Tony's neck and felt warm when Tony's arm reached across his chest.

"No. It's better. Just tired." He responded, stretching his arms out and then relaxing.

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow and we'll fix everything." Cap smiled, pulling Tony closer.

"Hmmm."

_Six A.M._

Tony looked out across his lab. He couldn't fall asleep. His head wouldn't let him. Usually it would have been going a mile a minute thinking of great plans that would never see the light of day because there simply wasn't enough time in the world for him to get to everything. But right now he couldn't think at all. _No thoughts_, just the constant pounding, thrashing, crushing feeling of this godforsaken migraine.

He'd told Cap that he would finally be able to complete the scan in the morning. And that had been true. But he hadn't told Cap that he'd already tried to perform the scan before going to bed, and couldn't.

He'd tried to initiate Extremis to boot up the new scanner's mainframe and had been literally knocked to the ground by the pain in his head.

It was like something important was hiding from him and whenever he closed in on it, it ripped him apart.

A week ago everything had been so manageable, but ever since the airport things had steadily gotten worse.

He had wanted to wake Cap and ask him for help with the scan, to just do everything manually… but he couldn't imagine explaining all of that to someone who could fully understand the scanner's systems let alone Captain America who got frustrated with cell phones.

But it wasn't just that. He'd_ tried_ to ask Cap. The words wouldn't leave his throat. Just like he hadn't been able to speak to Steve the days immediately following the battle he'd abandoned. And then it had been so difficult to concentrate after that, that all Tony had wanted to do was fall into bed.

He kept having this thought, like he'd almost remembered something. Something important that had happened when he'd crashed to the ground, the rock armor bending over him…

_How had he gotten out of that? _

Tony rolled over to look at Cap.

He paused briefly before moving his fingertips to the edge of Cap's hair. He brushed his fingers gently into the soft light strands.

_Nothing was going to be the same. _

The realization was enough to cause Tony to jerk his hand away. He tried to shake his head clear. He had no idea how he knew, but no matter if the scanner worked or not, or what the results could possibly be, nothing in his life would be the same.

He felt panic in his spine, and fought it off for Cap's sake. He quietly slipped out of the cot, and made his way up to the top of Stark Tower.

Tony wandered aimlessly for a while and ended up in the kitchen. He needed something to make his headache go away. Maybe he was hungry? He looked through the contents of the fridge.

_Carol Danvers' apples, Peter Parker's peanut butter, Logan's beer (he forced his eyes past that one), Cap's strawberries, and the leftover cheesecake Hank had acquired from his "non-date" with Jan. _

Tony sighed, holding his head.

"Can I make you something sir?" A pronounced British accent inquired.

Tony shut the fridge door.

"Jarvis!" He'd never been so happy to see someone who knew how to cook.

"Please." Tony said, rounding the kitchen counter and taking a seat at the far end.

He was suddenly very hungry.

"Well," Jarvis exclaimed, a startled look on his face. "There is a first time for everything I suppose."

Tony smiled at him.

"How are you feeling Master Stark?" The old butler hummed merrily as he went about collecting odds and ends from around the kitchen.

Tony held his head. "Eh, you know me."

"In theory Sir." Jarvis admitted.

Tony rested his head on the cool clean slate of the kitchen counter. He was actually feeling much better after having left the garage. Maybe he just needed a few hours of distance for all of this to work itself out.

"How do you put up with me Jarvis?" Tony asked, his eyes closed.

"One day at a time Master Tony, and with love that is unconditional." Jarvis teased.

Tony's eyes opened slightly. "Like any good father's should be." He said quietly.

Jarvis turned from his preparations of omelet making, to face the man he'd helped to raise.

"It's not something that can just be fixed..." Tony mumbled, his eyes closing again.

Jarvis' features narrowed in concern.

Suddenly Tony raised his head and looked up at his butler once more.

"I don't deserve him."

Jarvis averted his gaze.

Tony clenched his fists around the edge of the counter. "Just say it Jarvis."

"You know that I do not think you undeserving of any happiness Master Stark. I want you to be happy. I am also aware that if you feel undeserving of the Captain the best idea would not be to push him away, but rather do what you feel necessary to feel worthy."

_Easier said then done, especially if he wasn't on active Avengers' duty. _

Tony didn't say anything.

He laid his head back on the countertop.

A few minutes later Jarvis placed an amazing looking and delicious smelling ham and cheese omelet right by Tony's nose.

The man dug in, unable to remember the last time he'd actually wanted to eat something so badly.

_Sure_ food was nice for guests and it got you through the day without collapsing, but Tony rarely thought of it on his own.

Jarvis actually laughed, prompting Tony to slow down a bit. He was about to make a snide remark about there being too much cheese when the intercom system programmed to follow Jarvis around the Tower beeped to life.

_"Jarvis?"_ It was Cap's voice.

"Yes Sir?" Jarvis promptly responded.

"_Do you have a location on Tony? He's not down here_."

Tony smiled despite his insecurities. Cap really did care about him.

Jarvis gave a small laugh. "He is currently with me in the kitchen Sir."

_"Kitchen?" _The shock was evident in Cap's voice.

"It was a surprise to me as well Captain."

Tony quirked an eyebrow.

"If you hurry up here he may save you some of his omelet." Jarvis continued.

"_10-4."_ Cap concluded, a smile in his voice.

It took 15 minutes before Steve was seen in the kitchen. He was in full uniform, which explained the delay.

The omelet was long gone, a bowl of cereal in its place.

Cap came up behind Tony and ran his fingers through his hair. Tony leaned back into it.

"…and then he went back over to the hall anyway." Tony was finishing talking to Jarvis.

"You seem better." Cap stated, kissing the back of Tony's head.

Tony smiled. He did feel better now that his thoughts were off of the scanner.

Maybe things weren't as serious as they'd seemed.

Tony leaned further into Captain America's embrace.

As though to mock them, this having been their first truly relaxing moment in days, the Avengers Communicator went off on Cap's waist. Cap paused for a moment, holding Tony tighter.

"I'll come right back to you." He whispered.

"Yeah." Was all Tony said.

Cap hastened from the room. He didn't look back.

"Master Stark, are you alright?" Tony could hear Jarvis say.

But Tony wasn't alright.

He hadn't meant to. He knew he was off duty as an Avenger for the time being, but the thought had been automatic. He'd heard the communicator call and had asked for his armor to come to him.

And it hadn't.

_It wasn't responding. _

Tony could feel it, down in his lab, just lying there.

"I'll be downstairs." Tony responded, pushing himself away from the countertop and making his way back to the elevator.

"Of course Sir." Jarvis responded.

Tony could feel his headache return ten-fold as he thought of trying another scan of the interface, the food he'd just eaten threatening to come up.

_ What the hell was this?_

* * *

Jan was a godsend.

Once the Avengers had come back to the Tower she had promised to take care of the debriefing. Clint was less then enthused about the idea of Cap bailing on a meeting, asking if Tony's poor leadership skills were going to start rubbing off on him now too.

Cap had responded by saying that any Avenger who had managed to get out of the battle unscathed could feel free to go home and say hello to their loved ones, eluding to a miscommunication on Hawkeye's part resulting in a few bruised ribs during the battle.

Logan had smiled at that, patted his pocket and pulled out a cigar before waving off a sloppy salute, with a particularly prominent finger gesture towards Hawkeye, and leaving.

Cap ignored it all and went to the garage.

Tony was nowhere to be seen.

Not by the scanner, not by the computer… _So of course_…

Cap pushed open the bathroom door to see Tony crumpled on the floor in front of the bathtub. He rushed to his side. Tony wasn't just asleep. He was out.

"Tony? Tony!" Cap checked for a pulse.

_Steady._

Cap checked his breath…

_Slow. _

Steve let out a small sigh of relief and squeezed his eyes shut sitting down on the tile floor.

Tony stirred slightly by his movements.

"Tony." Cap tilted Tony's head, his arms going around his neck.

He took Tony up in his arms and really looked at him.

Tony had looked tired for a while, but now he looked haunted in the way his face had lost its color, save the bruises beneath his eyes. There was vomit at the side of his mouth. Blood from a fresh nose bleed was all in his facial hair. And by the smell of the room, he had yet to flush vomit down the drain.

_He'd seemed fine this morning_.

Cap kissed his forehead.

Tony furrowed his brow.

Cap leaned over to start the tub water, leaving it a small trickle. He washed Tony's face clean of the bile and the blood.

Tony woke up with a jolt and opened his eyes before squinting against the light.

They were red with broken blood vessels.

"Tony what happened?" Cap asked, helping him sit up.

"I'm fine." He heard Tony whisper.

"Tony…" Cap couldn't believe the depths of denial this man was capable of.

"Just get off." Tony pushed himself off of Cap and hit the back wall of the bathroom. He winced, as Cap took him in his arms once again.

"I can't access the suit. Something's wrong with Extremis." Tony finally conceded. "Something's wrong with me."

Cap paused, just holding him. Letting him know he was there.

"I need help." Tony admitted.

"And I'll get it."

Cap tried to help Tony stand, but the man couldn't find his bearings. He lifted Tony off his feet and carried him over to the cot.

--

Steve Rogers flung the door to the Avengers debriefing room wide open.

Without taking her eyes off of Cap, Jan told Hank to follow Captain America and to call Henry and Reed on the way down to the garage.

Not one to question her, Hank quickly left the meeting.

Cap ignored the scowl on Clint's face, and the concern on Peter's as the door swung shut behind them.

After calling Reed and Henry McCoy before the reception disappeared, Hank followed the star on Captain America's back into the elevator.

"Does Tony know we've been looking over those scans?" He asked when the doors finally closed.

"No." Cap admitted.

"Well I just won't mention it then."

"How did Jan know about you having the scans?" Cap asked, staring straight ahead.

"She's as smart as she is beautiful?" Hank tried, giving Cap a wry smile.

Cap continued glaring ahead.

"We kind of talk about a lot of things. I'm glad we're friends again."

Cap could actually feel Hank blushing.

He hoped Hank would be able to focus once they reached Tony.

He also hoped Hank and Jan realized what they were starting up again. They were 'friends' in the same way he and Tony were. Just because you weren't having sex didn't mean you weren't romantic with someone.

_Oh well, he'd let them go around the block a few times before pointing it out._

"I really wouldn't know what to do about something being wrong with Extremis. Other then the original creator I don't think there is anyone besides Tony and maybe Reed that could completely understand the depth of that tech. I always marvel at the things they can create. Not that I would give up my ants for any of that." Hank seemed to be babbling.

Cap realized his posture and tried to relax. Some people found him intimidating. He didn't mean it. Most of the time.

"Can't wait for Henry to get here either. He is the _actual_ medical doctor after all."

The unspoken words were that they wouldn't be calling Dr. Don Blake. Thor and Cap had met briefly, but they weren't seeing eye to eye at the moment. Blake had seemed affronted when he suggested Tony and he work out their differences-- _without violence_. He hoped his friend would come back once he had settled his kingdom properly.

"I've missed the blue furball with all that's gone on these days." Hank said, the elevator coming to a halt.

"Me too." Cap conceded. He was also glad that the idea of working with Reed had gone over so well. He just wished they were all meeting under better circumstances, considering the last time they had managed to get together, it had been about the Skrull.

Cap was waiting outside of the garage.

He couldn't take seeing Tony unconscious under that big scanner of his, not understanding what any of the results were, and feeling completely and utterly useless.

Reed and Hank had been in there for about 20 minutes.

The elevator doors opened.

Steve was greeted with a furry blue arm around his neck. Beast waxed poetic, comparing love to a winter's flower. Honestly Cap knew the poem and wasn't sure that was quite the thing he wanted said to him while he was sending Beast off to look after Tony.

"I want to go back in there; I know I'll just be in the way." He responded to Beast's affections.

Henry stared at him for a moment, before trying to alleviate the situation once more.

"Mayhaps, you would better serve thyne lover by seeing that everything is comfortably set for when we finish having our wicked way with him?"

"I already talked to Jarvis." Cap answered him reflectively, then thought better of it and offered Beast a fake smile. "You better not do anything to him that I wouldn't."

"Then I shall walk a fine line indeed. Now, I don't want you out here sulking."

"I don't…" Cap was interrupted by the blaring voice of Nick Fury.

Steve swore under his breath.

_Not now… Why right now? _

"Go." The Beast said with a wink. "We'll take care of this." He took off toward the garage door.

Cap looked at his communicator.

_Some Skrull were going to pay for this._

_--_

Beast bounded into the room as Reed was about finished securing Tony to the new scanner, _just in case._

As he walked by Tony an oddly familiar scent came over him. He couldn't quite place it, but it seemed extremely off to be so near Tony Stark. He heard Tony mumble something in his sleep about breasts that he couldn't quite make out and decided he was better off not knowing.

Hank Pym was standing by an outcropping of computer screens. They were all filled with new half way completed preliminary scans and all of the old ones; some of which Henry had already seen.

_How many of these did Tony take of himself?_

Henry walked back over to Tony's side, determined to get a baseline on his vitals when Hank made an exclamatory remark.

"Did you find something Pym?" Beast heard Reed say.

"These results are all fake."

"What?"

"It's good Tony ran so many. I think he was trying to find the pattern I just found."

"What do you mean?" Beast asked, still distracted by that odd smell.

"These results were faked by an AI or a computer system." He said pointing to something that obviously made sense to him.

Reed's arms were stretched out, pressing dials around the new scanning system at a speed that would be astounding to anyone who didn't know him. "Then we'll have to run a few scans of our own. Can you make sure that whatever's responsible for the false results doesn't interfere with our compilation? " He asked, starting up the newly reinvented diagnostics machine that Stark had built and he'd just modified.

"Yeah… give me a minute." Hank responded, pouring over the data at a quickened pace.

Henry McCoy just hoped Tony didn't wake up half way through the scans.

Strapped to a table, surrounded by scientists, _that would just be awkward_.

--


	5. Chapter 3a The Brain Trust

Moth- Chapter 3a (part 1 of 4)

Tony Stark held back his words by biting his tongue.

He rubbed his forearm tenderly, the sense memory of the straps that held him down still fresh.

He looked up at his captors, eyes blazing.

"We ran some scans on you." Reed began, looking over at a computer screen, eyes avoiding him as usual.

"No shit." Tony answered. He lowered his hands to the lab table he was sitting on and clenched his fists, fingers biting into the metal. He felt cold, and tired, and used. With his headache finally gone, that was actually an improvement.

"We were just trying to see if we could help you, Tony. We needed to be sure you weren't a danger to anyone." Hank began. He was leaning against another lab table. "Ultron--"

"We all know how concerned _you _are about Ultron." Tony stated heatedly. Hank narrowed his glance.

"The bottom line is that you were acting irrational." Hank continued. "Combine that with your Extremis malfunctions and the scans that just weren't lining up and--"

"And you should never have let me out of the hospital in the first place." Tony barked, immediately regretting his decision to let his fear speak for him.

He went back to biting his tongue and lowered his gaze away from the hurt look he found on his friend's face. He had never blamed Hank for what Ultron had turned him into, and had never wanted Hank to think that he had… He just felt so uncertain right now. Felt the need to lash out.

_Way to project Tony… _

"Your armor is really impressive!" Reed stated enthusiastically, seemingly oblivious to the drop in the room's temperature.

"If you like enablers..." Tony heard Beast say from across the room. He looked over at the blue doctor. Henry sat at the monitoring station a few yards away, drumming his furred fingers against the keyboard, his back turned to the rest of the group.

"Extremis intertwined with your brain sensing your thoughts and your need for physical and emotional denial, projecting that into everything electronic." Reed continued. "If Hank hadn't been able to crack that code we still wouldn't know it had been on a continuous error trajectory. Just because it's a virus doesn't mean it doesn't interact with the host!" He was smiling.

Science was still exciting for him.

_Tony wanted to shoot science in the foot._

"It's fascinating… is all…" Mr. Fantastic avowed, looking up from the computer screen when no one else responded, his face still masked in the glow.

"Yes… fascinating…" Tony replied sarcastically. _If the damned thing hadn't been trying to _kill_ him in the process._

Reed Richards let out a sigh, signifying that he felt as though the lack of excitement was once again due to his mind being leaps and bounds above everyone else in the room. He stretched his arm long to grab a clipboard he'd left over by the scanner while simultaneously walking closer to Tony.

"The final results are fascinating too." He looked toward Hank, and stretched his head backwards toward Henry.

"I can imagine." Tony murmured, as Reed walked up to him. He leaned near Tony who was still clenching tightly to the examination table.

"Tony… do you know?" Reed asked quietly.

The question caught Tony off guard. No one had actually said it yet.

_No one would actually say it._

They had just made loud exclamatory remarks about how fascinating_ everything was and had shoved a report under his barely conscious nose the second he'd woken up. _

"I…" Tony looked away. He'd seen the preliminaries. He had known that something had been hiding. Once the scan had finally been able to take place, _once he'd been able to verify that something was actually there_, his headache had disappeared. It was as though, if he was ok with what was happening, there was no real need to hide it any longer. _That certainly was a silly flaw in Extremis…_

He looked up at Reed and then over to Hank, a pleading urgency in his eyes. His grip on the table was causing his fingertips to go numb.

"I need you to say it out loud."

Hank looked at Reed. Reed glanced back at Hank for a second before his eyes drifted upward toward the ceiling, apparently finding a very interesting speck of dirt.__

No one would actually say it. 

"Oh for heaven's sake! You should all be ashamed to call yourself men!" Beast jumped up from his seat across the way and strode over to Tony with purpose. He shooed Mr. Fantastic out of the way, placed his big strong paws on Tony's shoulders and smiled.

"Congratulations Tony Stark! You're pregnant! You're going to be a father!" His smile grew.

Tony's face went white.

"Honestly… what's the big deal?" Henry McCoy asked, waving his hand about. "Mutant males do it all the... well not _all_ of the time, but it happens!" Henry finished, still smiling.

The rest of the men in the room did not share his enthusiasm however and he laughed to himself as he tried to get Tony to stop looking as though someone had just destroyed his favorite learjet.

"Frankly I'm relieved!" Beast continued, moving to Tony's side. "When I first came in the room and smelled you, I thought my mutant abilities were going haywire."

Tony blinked.

"So the final results of the scan," Reed started, desperately trying to run and hide behind the safety of science. "report that at 8 weeks everything's going along fine. Not exactly normally due to the unique nature of this occurrence… but your systems seem to be coping with it well enough." He glanced up at Tony with what he considered to be a reassuring face. He flipped a page in the report. "The uterine lining is, however, made from a combination of the Extremis virus, and a code identical to Ultron's."

No one said anything.

Reed felt compelled to continue.

"The DNA analysis within the womb however, contains no traces of the AI or its programming systems."

Tony looked up at him. _Really?_

"The DNA of the fetus is yours…" Reed Richards paused. "And Steve Rogers'."

Tony closed his eyes.

_Steve._

"When did Ultron get a sample of Cap's DNA?" Tony heard Hank ask.

Tony glared at him out of the corner of his eye.

The realization on Hank's face, and the slight shade of pink he turned, allowed Tony to shut his eyes once again.

"Never mind…" He heard Hank whisper.

Tony took a moment to process things. He had known it was something big; something where the system-wide shock he'd experienced had caused the Extremis virus to continuously and unconsciously project his denial to anything that could have identified it (that and to microwaves, television sets, cell phones… it had sort of been a nondiscriminatory electronic refutation fest), but he'd honestly expected the source to be something different. He wasn't exactly sure what, but not _this_.

Maybe something more like:

_Tony, Ultron has attached itself as a tumor in your lower intestine. _

_Tony, Extremis came to life and is trying to take over your body. Remember when your armor was sentient and tried to kill you? Well… this is MUCH better. _

_Tony, there's an evil clone-bot destined to rip itself from your chest and pledge allegiance to Nazis upon emerging. _

But this? This was so much worse.

_Tony, you're going to have a child with the person you love and respect more then anyone else in the world. You're going to have to be strong every day for the rest of your life. You can't relapse, you can't fuck up, you can't look back… you can't let them down. _

Tony felt the familiar nausea that had been his constant companion for the past couple of weeks rise in his throat. He took a deep breath. It didn't quite fill his lungs.

He heard Hank shuffle against the linoleum.

"This…" Hank stated darkly. "Ultron's trying to create it, hid it even." Hank paused. "I don't know if we should just _let_ this happen."

Tony Stark's eyes snapped open.

"It wasn't that Ultron was hiding it, the blueprint Extremis has for Tony's body was altered and the virus was overlooking it. Extremis was processing and interfusing contradictory data with electronics and malfunctioning. And the reports show that there is no trace of Ultron in the actual fetus." Reed stated, flipping through the report and showing it to Hank.

Hank didn't look. His gaze was focused on the floor. "Are you absolutely certain? And so Ultron's using Cap and Tony's DNA to make it. Doesn't mean it's beyond Ultron's control. We don't know what else Ultron has planned and I--"

"Stop." Tony said, holding up his hand. "Just. _Stop._ Talking."

"I don't… I just had to say it." Hank's face was full of pain.

Tony tensed, unconsciously hugging himself.

"So we monitor things closely. Everyday if need be. If there are any signs that this isn't healthy we deal with it then, right Love?" Beast offered, once again putting his hand on Tony's shoulder.

Tony could barely look up at him. He leaned over hugging himself tighter.

"Reed trashcan." Beast exclaimed quickly. Reed spun his head in the direction Beast was pointing and stretched his right arm out quickly to grab a small office trash bin underneath the monitoring station's desk. In a second flat it was in Beast's hand. In another second it was grabbed by Tony who promptly lost what he'd eaten for breakfast.

Tony took a deep breath and coughed, handing the trashcan back to Beast who handed it to Reed, who stretched it far away from himself and into the bathroom at the other side of the garage all without looking at it… or them.

Tony took another deep breath and placed his eyes on Hank.

Hank looked mortified that Tony remembered he was even in the room.

"Tony…." Hank's eyes held fear. "I can't be responsible for another--"

"Then you're not responsible for it. I am." Tony stated, his eyes darkened slits.

"Tony…"

"That's it. We're done talking about this." Tony said, sitting up straight and moving to stand from the lab table.

His feet hit the floor and he spun to look around at the three men there. The three men who knew.

"You can't say anything. Especially not to Steve."

Reed Richards made a noise. "He's precisely the person who asked us to look into how you were doing."

"I figured. I've been unfair to him, and right now he must really think the worst." Tony answered, walking over to the monitoring station that Reed had been compiling his final results on.

He sat down in front of the monitor and began to read.

"I'll tell him. I need to find the right way, but _I'll_ do it." He said, his back to them. "And Henry, I'll need to pick your brain later about everything."

"What to expect when the mutant male is expecting?" Beast asked jovially.

Tony brought his hand to his chin. "Yeah."

"You know my number." Beast responded.

Tony suddenly spun in his chair. "Thank you… all of you."

The three men before him offered their respective acknowledgments.

"For letting me know that you all are willing and able to strap me down and possibly take me out if you ever feel I pose a threat to humanity." Tony stated clearly. "It means a lot." He smiled.

The think tank that was Hank, Reed, and Henry stared back at him.

Tony swiveled back in his chair. "And for keeping Extremis from killing me." He added flippantly.

"And for helping me realize why it was trying to." Tony continued softly.

"I'll keep analyzing things on my end." Reed finally stated.

"I'll try not to think about any of this too loudly in front of Emma." Henry purred.

As the other two turned to leave, Tony called out Hank's name. Pym paused and then walked closer to Tony's station.

Tony's eyes remained on the monitor.

"This. You don't have any blame in this. So I don't want to hear anything resembling an apology from you."

"Tony--"

"You understand Ultron better then anyone. If I need help…" Tony paused and turned to face Hank from the chair. "Hank, I need your help, just like I need Reed's and Henry's. This is difficult for me to ask, and I'm not going to pretend that I won't need some time to wrap my head around it all, but--"

"I'm here. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." Hank stated honestly.

Tony nodded once and rotated back to the screens in front of him.

As Hank left the garage he couldn't help but look back at Tony Stark and think about what this might mean for the future of the Avengers, for the future of everything.

He braced himself for an invisible blow before closing the door behind him.

--

Tony Stark sat in front of the familiar glow of computer screens, a written report in his hand.

He would have just read all of the reports via Extremis, but it still wasn't working exactly the way he wanted and with his head feeling so good right now he really didn't want to risk things.

At least now he knew why his armor wasn't responding well to him, and why electronic things seemed to be ignoring his commands as of late. Extremis had been very very busy creating a place for the life inside of Tony to be sustained. The more he analyzed the data the more he realized just how vulnerable he had been. The past two weeks in particular.

Tony wasn't sure how the Extremis virus _not_ telling him made any of that better, considering he'd taken more risks with his life, and with the baby's life, while not knowing then if he'd been aware.

Tony had only gone up against Extremis' rather poignant idea of denial once before.

The day Cap died.

The day he'd had to travel up to the Helicarrier and see it… see him... with his own two eyes.

The headache had been unbearable.

All newscasts, radio stations, comm.-wave frequencies, wi-fi reports-- all of it had been completely silent as he'd flown to the main deck.

Tony hadn't really expected to see anything out of the ordinary. _It was the brig._ He thought he'd been going to the brig and then… there he was. His shield still with him.

After that everything clicked back into place, and Tony had realized why he was supposed to be there. He realized what had happened, and everything he was supposed to say. Should have said before…

It hadn't really ended there. The dreams he'd had of Cap... He'd known those dreams weren't normal, that he shouldn't have wanted them so badly. He'd known the flaw in Extremis then, and couldn't change it. He needed Cap in his life, even if it was only in dreams.

Cap was a bright light in Tony's life, the only one at times. His north star; the one that fought to guide him and help him as he slipped further and further into things he couldn't handle, things he could go numb to. Alcohol had been replaced with battles, planning, fighting. Tony was good at fighting, more then he wanted to admit.

But the blood it placed on his hands was undeniable. There was so much blood at times he thought he could drown in it. Wanted to drown. He knew he didn't deserve any more chances.

Without Cap, life hurt. Everything had hurt. It hurt to the point of exhaustion. It hadn't been physically painful in so much as mentally deadening. Excess, everything in excess. He remembered being frustrated that he hadn't just burned away in blaze of glory already. And then came the lack of feeling, the notion that one drink wouldn't hurt, one little bullet to the brain.

Cap had returned before those thoughts had gotten to be all encompassing but Tony didn't dare admit how far gone he'd truly been. He'd breathed his final breath the day that Cap slipped away into the ice. And he had been reborn when Cap was returned to him, his emotions all falling back into place like rain upon the earth.

_Steve had embraced him. _

It was the very first thing he had done.

And all the pain Tony had been keeping at bay had returned to him instantly.

All the love too.

Knowing Steve so perfectly now, feeling his body, knowing his movements, hearing him scream his name, his face against the bed sheets, knowing it was him that brought Steve that pleasure was more then Tony could have ever hoped for.

His teeth hurt from clenching them so tight.

Tony didn't know how Steve would react to this.

He'd never been sure that what they had would last, and he certainly didn't want Cap to be with him for just one reason. A sense of moral obligation that Captain America would certainly adhere to, no matter the consequence and no matter what their relationship might have turned out to be under other circumstances.

Tony could never do that to Steve.

_ He didn't know what else to do though._

Tony placed the report back on the table and looked down, his hand absently smoothing across the fabric of his shirt, touching where the baby would be.

_Where the baby was…_

Tony shook his head.

This he couldn't do without.

He'd lost too much in too short a period of time.

All he could think was that it was a part of Cap.

A force and essence inside of Tony that was made by him.

It was selfish to think that. Neither of them had planned this, or even dreamt of its possibility. But this was the result of Steve's love for Tony. No matter what the future held in store for them, no matter if they weren't destined to last forever, this was from when Cap had loved him.

He hoped it wasn't too selfish for him to think that way. It probably was. It was probably horrible of him. But the thoughts still came.

He was so tried of losing everything he loved.

His thoughts fell back to when he'd been living on the streets trying desperately to forget anyone by the name of Steve Rogers, forget anything to do with Tony Stark. To end the pain but secretly wanting to live, for feeling selfish in wanting to live, because there was nothing he could ever do to make up for the pain he had caused.

Alone on the icy streets of New York, he'd learned a lesson that was difficult to remind himself of at times. A lesson he sometimes couldn't understand the words of no matter how many times he repeated them in his mind.

"Every life matters. I matter."

_He was going to make a horrible father… _

--

Steve pushed past the Skrull detector at the front entrance of Stark Tower and immediately stepped to the left, straight to the elevators. He didn't even whisper a hello to the doorman like he usually did.

The uneasy feeling in his chest hadn't settled all battle. In fact it had only gotten worse as the Skrull continued their psychological warfare by transforming into people from Steve's past. The Portable Skrull Detectors weren't always convenient to use in the heat of a fight and once a Skrull knew it'd been made, it had no qualms about changing into more familiar forms.

Forms Steve knew.

Forms that were dead.

Steve looked down at his hands, his fingers were still shaking and he couldn't make them stop. The Skrull, they got in your head. He'd spent a lifetime too long fighting friends, and now he was forced to kill things that looked just like them.

_They still looked like his friends. _

Steve pulled his cowl from his head, his fingers wringing through his hair as he did so, spreading blood everywhere. The dark crimson was a sharp contrast to the light shades of blond.

_Sam's eyes going wide with shock then death, Cap bringing his shield down on the man's head._

Only afterward did they ever transform back. Only then could Steve breathe again, knowing for certain he'd been right, that he hadn't killed one of his best friends.

Not again.

He forced himself to inhale deeply and closed his eyes.

_Count to ten. Count to ten._

One.  
  
_Two._

_Three._

_Something was wrong with Tony. _

_Four. _

_Five._

_This wasn't going to end. The fighting would never stop. _

_Six._

_Seven._

_Eight. _

_Tony was his. This was forever. They could get through this. _

_Nine. _

_This was forever. _

_Captain America could do this. _

_Ten. _

Steve let the breath out and opened his eyes.

A few seconds later the elevator doors opened, and Cap found himself walking towards the garage and the lab it held within.

Steve knocked before opening, still not knowing if he would be anything but in the way, but there was nothing…

The lab was clean.

_Clean._ Clean, like Tony had actually let Jarvis in here and he'd done nothing but dust, incinerate secret documents, and throw away clutter while Steve had been away.

No one was here.

_What was going on? Why hadn't anyone contacted him? (not tha__t they could have but…) _

Where was Tony?

Taking the elevator back to the top of Stark Tower, Cap's frustration gave way to exhaustion. He took a deep breath and headed toward his room, already unhooking his belt and loosening his scale mail top. __

He'd take a shower. Take a shower and then call Jarvis. There was no reason for him to panic. No reason for him to be in the way.

_--_

Steve opened the door to his room, the soft orange glow of his desk lamp shining throughout. He didn't remember leaving it on.

He tensed slightly and looked around.

Tony was asleep in his bed.

Cap blinked, his shirt falling to the floor. He set down his shield and paced to the side of the bed Tony was closest to.

"Tony." He stated calmly.

Tony's limbs stretched in the bed sheets and Tony rolled from his side to his back. Opening his eyes, he offered Steve a small smile.

"Hey."

Cap's body moved on its own. His arms, his hands stretching and wrapping around Tony's body, his face in Tony's chest. Getting blood on the sheets. Blood on Tony's skin. "You're ok." Cap wouldn't let it be a question.

Tony's body tensed, then he held Cap back. "I'm ok."

Steve sat back up, sitting on the edge of the mattress, his eyes smiling.

Tony lay back in the bed, grinning in return. Cap's eyes narrowed as he noticed something.

"I got…" Cap moved to wipe the blood off of Tony's face, he smeared it.

"Are you ok?" Tony asked.

Cap smiled, "I am now." He held his hand by Tony's face. "Where are Reed and Henry?"

"They went home." Tony stated, moving to a sitting position in the bed.

"So you really are ok." Steve's smile grew wider. Then he paused like he'd remembered something. He moved to stand up from the bed and took Tony's hand with him.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Steve looked at him expectantly. Tony scrunched his forehead in thought, then a look of mischief crossed his face. 

_Oh. The type of shower where he was invited…._

"So what was it?" Steve asked, his back towards Tony as he walked to the bathroom. Tony raised himself slowly from the bed and tested his balance before joining him.

"It was Extremis. It was stuck in this loop. An internal systems error." Tony answered, slipping off his boxers.

"Oh." Steve answered, removing his socks, then hurrying to catch up with Tony's lack of clothing. He blushed as he looked up at his Tony in front of him.

"Hank found the pattern to it and he and Reed were able to figure how to get it to stop trying to…" Tony paused, trying to find the right word.

"Kill you?" Steve offered, now free of his uniform.

"Yeah…" Tony agreed hesitantly, as Steve pulled him towards the shower.

"What caused the error?" Cap breathed, as fresh hot water hit his body.

Tony stepped in behind him.

The blood was finally beginning to wash away.

"Ultron caused some… incompatible data." Tony offered.

_Male + Pregnant Incompatible Data._

Cap leveled his body against Tony's as the other man leaned against the shower wall.

"You look so much better already." Cap assured, as he felt Tony twist slightly under his pressure.

"I feel… better." Tony managed, sentences getting more difficult to produce.

"I missed you so much." Steve whispered, hugging Tony now, more then anything else.

Tony opened his eyes.

He'd missed Steve too, he realized. For the past two weeks he must have seemed like a crazed person on the verge or in the middle of a mental breakdown. Tony knew he could be astoundingly stubborn; he must have been breaking Steve's heart with every day he wouldn't ask for help. With every day Steve had thought that Tony might never be ok again.

"I'm better now Steve. I won't let this happen again." Tony offered, hoping it was true.

"Yeah." Steve accepted the lie, pulling Tony into a kiss.

They hadn't been together in so long. Not in the sense that they could actually focus on just each other. The warmth from the shower and each other's bodies washed away any lingering thoughts of depression from them both.

The world could wait.

For now they were home in each others' arms.

--

Tony lay in bed trying to get a second wind.

He shouldn't be so tired. They hadn't even done anything.

He rolled to his side and propped himself up on one elbow hoping that would help.

Cap was still talking about the Guggenheim's "The Art of the Motorcycle" exhibition he'd been to. It had been the last he'd had a chance to go see and it had been a while ago. Tony remembered having a business meeting and not being able to attend. It seemed like years ago and he could still remember that… He really wished he could have gone.

Cap paused in talking about his museum trip and waited for Tony to notice.

"I'm listening." Tony stated after a long moment, which indicated he clearly wasn't.

Steve gave him a bemused look.

"I'm trying to listen." Tony confessed.

Steve let out a small laugh, shooting his arm out to clip Tony's elbow. Tony's face landed on the comforter.

"What was that for?" Tony twisted onto his back, grabbing the arm that had knocked him down.

"What do you think?"

"I think we should go to the auto show. The one in Albany." Tony smiled, pretending to examine the hand he held captive.

"Is that coming up soon?" Cap asked, pulling himself closer to Tony's body and wrapping his leg over him.

"Yeah." Tony conceded, already beginning to fall asleep once again. Steve's hand was free.

Steve began to kiss at Tony's neck as the other man fell into the deep steady breath of slumber. His hand was still in the position it had been when he'd pulled Steve's over to him.

Cap smiled to himself and went to move his hand across Tony's chest, then down across his stomach.

Tony jumped awake and snatched at Steve's hand as he reached his lower abs.

Steve looked at Tony like he'd been slapped.

"Sorry! Did that hurt?" Cap asked, looking over at Tony and trying to find a bruise that would cause him to jump like that.

Tony tossed in the sheets and ended on his stomach looking up at Steve, his head on folded arms.

"No… no sorry. Just a reflex." Tony said, looking over at his pillow. Tony wasn't certain why he'd done that. He'd been fine in the shower with Steve's hands all over him.

Steve settled back down and opted for rubbing Tony's back instead. "Ok."

"Did I nod off again?" Tony asked, trying to recover.

"Hmm, yeah. But you were the one talking this time, so..."

Tony grinned. "Tell me about the rock armor." He countered, determined to change the subject.

"The _rock armor_." Steve sighed and buried himself deeper into Tony's side. "You really want to talk about business now?" His voice was stifled beneath Tony's shoulder.

Tony lifted his head and forced the seriousness of his gaze to speak for him.

Steve lifted his head enough to meet Tony's gaze. "Of course you do." He dropped his head again.

Cap's muffled voice told of the latest expedition the Avengers had been on concerning said armored denizens. "They've attacked a factory farm, the Kennedy Airport, and some facility of A.I.M.." Cap said the last part very quickly.

"Wait… what?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Um, some building of A.I.M.'s… I think it was supposed to be a paper mill."

Tony laughed. "You had to save some random place of _Evil Microsoft_? Why not just let it get trampled?"

"I thought you'd find that ironic. But the best part was when we discovered why the Illanians were attacking it in the first place. Apparently they had some radioactive materials they didn't exactly have a permit for."

"Did anyone get arrested? Or mutated?" Tony asked hopefully.

"There were mostly desk jockeys there. We had to save a lot of them." Steve conceded.

Tony was still smiling. "To arrest them five minutes later?"

"You're not enjoying their pain are you Tony?" Cap lifted his head, considering his lover reproachfully.

"Just a little." Tony admitted. "So they're _Illanians_?"

"Yes." Steve continued. "I spoke to the Black Panther and apparently he's had a few meetings with them in the past. But they used to be strictly pacifist. We're not sure what's caused the change, but their other ideals seem to be intact. They've been attacking New York in various locations that have high to severe greenhouse gas emissions."

"They're hippie robots?"

"They're environmentalists. And they're not robots."

"They live underground, what do they care if the surface is hot?" Tony asked, laying his head down in his arms.

"Tony." Cap exclaimed, smacking his shoulder.

"What?"

"They come out of the Earth and feel the need to protect her, all parts of her, from anything harmful. Plus the term global warming is misleading. It's really more of a 'climate change.' England is predicted to freeze."

Tony just stared at him for a minute. "Ok-- so they're like Green Peace if Green Peace was crazy--er. And had suits of armor."

"Maybe." Steve said in a voice that meant he wasn't confident what current issues reference Tony was making, but that he wasn't about to admit it.

"So these Illanians… They come out of the woodwork; change their stride from pacifists to Vikings and what? Go straight to New York and get in the way of the best superhero team in the world? Why do that to themselves? They could have at least started with some easy superhero team… like that one in England…" Tony trailed off.

"Well, what took you thirty seconds took us a couple of days, but we suspect the same thing. Something has to be influencing them, manipulating, maybe even controlling them somehow. Who would benefit from the US, specifically New York, being down a few industrial facilities?" Cap paused, thinking. "Except… you."

Tony made a grunting noise.

"That would be the perfect tabloid article." He admitted. "I'd write it myself." He sighed. "Do you have any clues on where the rock armor goes when they leave New York, or who may be influencing them?"

"That's what we're working on." Steve acknowledged, slowly tracing his finger along Tony's back, up and down his spine. "It's been difficult with SHIELD completely preoccupied with Skrull."

"How did that go earlier?" Tony thought to ask, suddenly remembering the blood that had been on the blond when he'd first been woken up a few hours ago.

"Got through it." Steve answered, his hand suddenly still.

Tony moved, to find that look in Captain America's eyes. The look he held when something he didn't want to remember was gnawing at his brain.

He often wore that look when he was forced to recall events from the War.

Cap had seen death that day.

Tony gripped Steve Rogers closer.

Things were always better when they were together.

--


	6. Chapter 3b What to Expect

(this is the MPreg info-dump chapter :P so we never have to bring up science again \ o /)

Moth- 09- Chapter 3.2a- What to Expect...

"Yes I know I haven't talked to you in a while." Tony shook his head slightly and gripped his cell phone tighter. "You know, I really don't think you should talk to your boss like that…" He paused, listening to the response. "No. Rhodey's not your boss! Ok, well technically he is, but not your only one-- I don't care what your job description says. Alright! Alright, do you want me to just say it or do you want me to mean it because if I say it now I won't--" Tony laughed. "You just want to hear it? Alright."

Tony took the cell phone away from his mouth and cleared his throat. He brought the phone back to his lips. "I'm sorry Mrs. Arbogast. It won't happen again."

"Uh-huh." He smiled, then furrowed his brow in thought. "How many meetings did I miss?"

"Really?" Tony shifted the phone to his other ear. "That's all? That's a lot better then my last nervous breakdown."

Tony coughed.

"Wait… how many internationally?"

Tony laughed again.

"Alright well schedule something for me by the end of the weekend and let me fix all of this by the end of the month."

"_Not feasible_… What does that mean? I don't think I've ever heard that phrase before, is it synonymous with "you're fired?" I think-- What do you mean _I can't fire you? It's not Monday_? What day is it? Oh… well that's true, I couldn't fire you on a Thursday. Ok, but plan my last meeting for ten weeks from now regardless. The rest will be vid-screen conference calls until further notice."

Tony sighed.

"Again with that phrase… Let me figure out the logistics. Oh wait you mean that task _is_ in your job description? Well you'd better take care of it then-- Yes, I said conference calls. I've decided to give '_rich old recluse_' a try. I'll figure something out with the stock holders but just plan things out like I said… No, I'm not in Stark Tower right now."

Tony eyed his surroundings, the bright examination lights making him squint.

"Sure, I'll stop by later before five tonight-- Shut up, it'll be before seven! Do you talk to Rhodey like this?"

Tony scoffed.

"You're going to start hurting my feelings with that _favorite boss_ crap." Tony laughed at her response. "I'm going to ignore that for now… Alright. Ciao."

Tony closed his phone and twisted his arm to put it up by the table near his head. He was lying on a medical examination table in the sub-basement of the X-Mansion waiting for Beast to return.

He had gone to get pamphlets.

_Mutants had pamphlets on this sort of thing…_

Tony shook that thought from his head and tried to focus on the conversation he'd just had. Talking on a cell phone had been very… weird. He had so gotten used to the voices going directly to his inner ear. But he was still weary of using Extremis for the time being. Other then feeling a bit tired, he was actually feeling quite good lately.

He heard Beast's booming voice give his identification code for the med labs to open. The man entered the room. For a big furry lion he presented himself with an air of dignity and intelligence that most "normal" doctors or professionals would be eternally envious to obtain.

Tony had to admit he looked good in a white lab coat.

Despite that fact, Tony was having a difficult time talking to him.

Henry was an Avenger. Tony could trust him. He knew that-- but he still felt amazingly self-conscious about this entire thing.

"Here you go." Henry stated, flashing his fangs in a friendly yet horribly intimidating way.

Tony twisted his head towards the man and held out his hand to take the paperwork.

He skimmed it over, phrases like "back pain" "weight gain" "frequent urination" and "heartburn" popping out at him.

He closed his eyes.

"So I've been over the exorbitant amount of bio-scans you managed to throw up all over that garage of yours, as well as what Hank, Reed and I were able to take, _and_ the ones from today and I've come to the conclusion that you're a Taurus."

Tony eyed him.

"Aquarius?" He shrugged when Tony didn't bother to respond. "I've also come to the conclusion that you hate free time and took it upon yourself to destroy not only your own but all for those around you as well."

Henry McCoy looked tired. It was an odd thing to realize. He'd been working on all of this for Tony for a while now.

"Thanks Hank." Tony stated quietly.

"Oh don't thank me yet." Beast sat down on a stool near the edge of the examination table. He rolled over to be closer to Tony.

"I've also concluded that you need to be concerned about a few things." He smiled. "Just a few…"

Tony took a deep steadying breath and sat up.

"Ok." He stated calmly, feeling anything but calm.

Beast began.

"Usually when a male mutant gets pregnant it is because that is one of the abilities that went along with his original mutation. It makes sense in a propagation of the species kind of way. These pregnancies follow a path almost identical to their female counterparts." Beast straightened his glasses. "With others, their pregnancies are due to a secondary mutation and with about 12 of _those_ men, _which is a very small amount in of itself_, a certain set of challenges present themselves."

Beast paused for Tony to acknowledge he'd heard him.

"In these pregnancies the man's body does not react in balance to the womb and the growing child. It doesn't produce the correct amounts of hormones, be it Progesterone or b-HCG, and it doesn't maintain the same homeostasis that is inside the womb, causing problems down the line in terms of development. Now, while your body is pretty much reacting like one of these 12 secondary mutation males, I don't think it's any cause for concern in your case because the Extremis virus is being very attentive to all of the baby's needs, maybe even to the extent of ignoring you a little too much. I might even have the concern switched down the road; we might have to look out for _your_ well-being as the baby develops. The kid will be fine if Extremis keeps acting like this, _you_ might end up in a coma. Or maybe loose a leg or something." He said, waving a hand dismissively.

Tony didn't notice. His eyes were on the floor.

_Was that why he'd been having so much trouble accessing anything through Extremis lately? Had headaches and felt so drained… Extremis didn't want him accessing it so it could pour all of its resources into sustaining the baby…_

"Have you been feeling anything like that already?" Henry asked, reading Tony's body language.

"Not really. I've just been a little tired." Tony answered.

"All right, well we'll be sure to keep an eye out." He hummed. "But you're going to have to help as well. Extremis can take care of the baby if you take care of yourself."

Henry smirked when Tony shot him a look.

"What? When I was an Avenger I'm pretty sure you sustained yourself on coffee and Red Bull."

"Coffee and Power-aide." Tony countered, mock pride in his voice.

Beast shook his head.

"But wait..." Tony remanded. "What about the morning sickness?"

Beast nodded. "Your body is still reacting to a baby growing, just not in the way a female's body would. Some symptoms may be over pronounced, while others may be non-existent."

Tony leaned back on the table. "So nothing's for certain?"

Beast fauxed offense. "Well, I have been trying to narrow the mysteries down best I can. But what's life without a few surprises?"

"Great."

"Another thing is that other then what the Ultron code and Extremis decide to maintain in your body, nothing else is female, including all of the 'plumbing' so to speak. _Meaning_ the baby doesn't have anyplace to go, unless it's through a c-section. So we should plan the day at about 38 to 40 weeks, or sooner depending on how everything is developing."

"Ok." Tony stated, looking around a bit.

Henry pressed on. Tony would have to hear it all eventually.

"The last thing you'll have to worry about after the baby is born, other then having a new baby to care for, is breast-feeding."

Tony felt his hands involuntarily clench into fists.

"You won't be able to." Beast stated quickly. "And while I know you are now thanking God for small miracles," Tony found himself nodding in agreement. "Which I personally don't understand. I would think having breasts for a while would be fun." He paused. "Course you already did that… Not that you can remember…" Beast said gazing off.

"Well anyway, you won't get to again and this is actually a bit of a problem. Children get a lot of immunities and nutrients through the parent in this way. It's not something that will be horribly detrimental to the child, but I gave you some phone numbers and websites for information regarding substitutes."

Henry nodded toward the pile of papers Tony had placed next to himself on the med table.

"Right." Tony responded, looking a bit overwhelmed.

"But we'll be discussing this again and again. You'll be tired of me my darling but you really must come to see me often." He flashed his fangs again. "Steve will be jealous."

"I'll just have to invite him along then won't I?" Tony countered in a flirty voice to mask his panic.

"I like the way you think Tony-baby." Beast's smile grew, and then his face fell serious once more. "You'll have to tell him soon so he can join in on the fun."

Tony gave a fake smile. "Yeah…"

The Beast purred at his patient. "Tony, this is a big change... for anyone, not just mutants and not just males. If you want, I know the name of a good person to talk to. She'd be happy to fit you in if I give her a good word." He winked at him and let the offer settle.

Tony felt heat prickle down his spine. He hated it when people suggested he couldn't handle things on his own. It'd been one of the most difficult parts of going to the AA meetings. But he knew that he didn't just have himself to think about anymore.

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." He stated truthfully.

"Ok," Henry accepted, not pushing the matter.

He went on to tell Tony how science class had gone at X-school that day.

--

"Have you even met the Black Widow?" Clint asked in a sour voice.

"I've met _a_ black widow…" Peter countered looking up at Cap in a pleading, _stop letting him pick on me, _type of way.

Steve sat down between them on the couch in the entertainment room of the Avenger's floor.

"What are you making me watch again Clint?" He asked, trying to get that look off of Peter's face.

Hawkeye took his attention from the slightly younger man on the other side of Captain America and smiled.

"We are watching every episode of Highlander you let me cram down your throat."

"Highlander?" Peter scrunched his nose. "You mean that show with the fake Irish accents and the lightning effects that make you want to gouge your eyes out? Wasn't it filmed in Canada?"

"It's bad fake _Scottish _accents! And what's wrong with Canada?" Clint countered, leaning over Steve to look Peter in the eyes.

"I never said _bad_ fake accents… and nothing's wrong with Canada. They filmed the X-Files there." Peter hit Cap on the shoulder. "Hey! We should watch the X-Files! That was a great show."

"And so is this!" Clint continued to harangue Peter. "You don't have to sit here and watch this with us; you could go… eat bugs or something." Clint suggested, an earnest smile on his face.

"I don't eat bugs! Why don't you just--"

"Maybe we should watch Monty Python." Cap interrupted Peter. "If we can't agree on something else." He added, when Clint looked awfully rejected.

"I don't have Monty Python. That belongs to Stark." Clint stated quietly.

"Alright then, we'll have to start with Highlander." Cap said matter-of-factly. Clint's smile returned and Peter crossed his arms.

Cap raised his eyebrows when the vocals of_ Queen_ began blaring from the television set.

Before he had much time to react he also heard footsteps coming from the direction of the elevators, as well as the slightly off-key tenor of Tony Stark as he sang along to the opening theme song.

Clint was singing as well.

Tony winked at Cap as he walked through the living room on his way to the kitchen, Hank at his heels.

Cap smiled, settling into the story of _Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod_.

The Avengers were beginning to feel like a family again.

Tony sat down at the kitchen countertop, grabbing the papers Hank kept babbling about with one hand, an apple with the other.

"I understand that the problems you had with remotely controlling the armor will still be the same Tony, but you can't risk using the Extremis virus to make up the difference in precision and speed."

Tony went to open his mouth.

"And don't tell me _we'll just fix the variances in the suit_ because I know for a fact that you've been working on that for years and never got anywhere with it." Hank interrupted him.

Tony smirked. "Well… when you're right, you're right."

Hank gestured with both hands, signifying he felt the conversation should end.

"But I need to do something to be useful for the next _how-ever-many_ months Hank." Tony looked over at his friend. "And after… and afterwards too."

"I understand." Hank responded knowingly. "Afterward, Extremis will go back to normal. You can handle the suit then."

"It should." Tony shrugged. "Kind of my first time with any of this." He took a bite of the apple.

"True…"

"So we'll run some test flights with the suit and see what my limitations are." Tony said, the twinkle of discovery shining in his eyes. "You aren't busy tonight, right?"

Hank eyed him wearily. "Do you sleep Stark?"

"More then one might think." Tony replied, beginning to smile. He took another bite of the apple.

"Fine. Tonight."

--

Cap spun around in the Tower's topmost Avenger floor.

Tony was behind him yammering on about the same things.

"And it'll be like when I remotely control the armor normally but it may be slower then usual and I just want you to keep that in mind." He was saying.

"I know that Tony. We've had this discussion." Cap strode towards the living room and checked behind the sofa by the hi-definition TV.

"Right, I just wanted to say it again."

"For the third time." Cap stated, annoyance clear in his voice.

Tony paused in his mission of following Captain America all around Stark Tower and waved his hands in surrender.

"Hey! It's not my fault you can't find your shield." He smirked.

"And it's not _my fault_ the Illanians are attacking an oil refinery on Staten Island."

Cap headed towards the kitchen.

Tony followed.

"There should really only be about a 25-35 difference in the armor's reaction time." Tony continued. "I had hoped to get that down further, but hippie robots wait for no one I suppose."

"They're not robots." Hank Pym stated without looking up from his paperwork at the kitchen's countertop.

Cap waved a hand at both of them dismissively.

Tony snapped his fingers.

"Didn't you play cards with Pete earlier?"

Cap slapped himself on the forehead.

He headed toward Spiderman's bedroom.

Tony sat down next to Hank and began eyeing the latest readouts over his shoulder. "He should've just let me put a tracker in the damn thing." He muttered.

"Found it!" They both heard Captain America exclaim from the other room.

Cap jogged back in through the kitchen.

"So just think of it as an older model of the suit. I based the interface off of the old neuromimetic telepresence armor I had." Tony shouted as Cap passed him.

"It's fine Tony." Stark heard as Cap rounded the corner toward the elevators to meet the other Avengers in the Quinjet on the roof.

"Showtime." Tony said, looking over at his fellow inactive Avenger, trying to smile.

"Right." Hank replied, getting up and following Tony toward the garage.

--

The heat in the air finally began to subside. The armor Cap had been fighting receded back beneath the ground. At least he'd damaged it enough to stop it from causing any more trouble.

Steve took a second to catch his breath and looked out to the oil refinery at the far end of his vision. It was still standing. That was definitely a good thing. He didn't want to think of what the public outcry and worry would have been if the Staten Island oil refinery caught on fire. _Again_. There had been the whispered panic of "terrorists" last time and Cap wouldn't allow those voices to cry.

That's what he was here for. To protect people from all of this. It's why the Avengers were here.

He ducked behind some metal latticework from a construction site adjacent to the refinery that still allowed him to survey the battleground, his breath showing in the cold night air. The simple plan of "get the Illanians as far away from the building that can burst into flames and stay on fire for days" was going well. Peter had called it operation "Asbestos Wrap." Clint had called it "Hippie Mace."

Cap took a moment to survey the situation, monitoring the actions of his comrades closely.

_ Did anyone need his help? Where was the best place to go? _

His eyes fell on Clint, then Luke, Peter, Carol. It only took him a second to notice that they were all fighting the same armor type they had in every previous encounter. Hawkeye always fought the rock-crusher, shooting arrows into the joints that connected the arms to the torso rendering them unusable. Carol always chose the terra-denser, absorbing its energy and stunning it for at least a while. They were beginning to know how to fight this enemy; know their weaknesses in battle. And their strengths.

It was probably why the confrontations with the Illanians were shorter and shorter each time. They were a smart opponent and knew the time to retreat. And they were _ever so good_ at avoiding capture…

Cap supposed that knowing strengths and weaknesses could go both ways and wondered if the people in the suits of armor were picking the same opponents to fight as well.

He spotted Luke who was having no trouble with his adversary. Cap half remembered seeing a metal arm go flying by his head a while ago.

Not that they would find any trace of it after the Illanians' fully retreated. If he still didn't have random bits of metal and circuitry smashed into the edge of his shield, he'd half believe that their tech just vanished into mid-air after every attack.

It was like magic. _Evil annoying magic._

Cap noticed Spiderman swing by saying something like "what's the matter, out of oil tin man?"

He was mocking… that was good. It was only when he was gloating that he was in real trouble. _Or flirting… sometimes he flirted._

Suddenly a burst of heat and a heavy explosion rocked Cap's vision.

_What the hell was that?_

He looked to the origin of the blast to see the Iron Man armor being tackled by two Illanians. The armor had just given a repulsor blast from the chest RT.

_Damn it Tony. _It wouldn't do them any good if the _Avengers_ set fire to the refinery.

Luckily the red and gold metal was flying _away_ from the factory but its movements were still slightly erratic. They had been the entire battle.

Steve had noticed before that the Illanians had all but ignored Iron Man when the fight had first begun. It was a large part of the reason why he'd put Tony on fire control instead of Peter like he'd originally planned. But something had changed; any Illanian not currently in congress with another Avenger had decided to swarm Tony.

_Not _Tony…_ the armor. Had they figured out that the armor was empty? Why would that make any difference to them? _

The armor, despite its lack of precision, was leading the Illanians away from the refinery, so it was doing its job. Cap tried to ignore the urge to help it. Tony wasn't even in it, and it was doing good damage control. Had managed good fire control as well.

But leaving it like that was difficult. Especially because of everything he'd been through with Tony as of late... the man still wasn't acting like himself. For all that he'd shared, there was something that Tony wasn't telling him. And he still couldn't access Extremis for some reason. He said he'd be fine though. He said that he just needed a little more time.

Steve wanted to believe. He always wanted to believe Tony. It made forgiving him that much easier. And pretending that it didn't hurt much more realistic.

If anything, Cap hoped Tony,_ who was safe and sound back at the Tower_, would forgive him for letting his tech get torn to pieces.

Before he could think about it any further, an arm from a rock-crusher that hadn't been ripped off (it was difficult to tell sometimes) flew at his torso. It was obvious that it was still being controlled by an armor somewhere.

Steve dropped fluidly to his back and spun as the thing returned, kicking it with his entire lower body before it had a chance to clamp down on him.

He jumped to his feet as it cascaded away. It moved back toward him like a boomerang.

Centering his shield in front of him and bracing for impact, Steve slid slightly backwards as the arm connected, metal against metal.

The arm splintered and showered mechanics down around him.

He'd been praising his opponents for their intelligence and then this Illanian had decided to sacrifice an arm, _for what?_

_Damn. What else? To distract. _

Steve spun to get a good 360 but the attack came from below. A clamp crushed down on his right leg from the ground through the earth and pulled. Cap could feel the pressure build in his leg, the heat of the muscles about to rip from the strain of the robotic arm. The armor was pulling him under. _Underground? He wanted to know where the random bits of metal ran off to but he could probably think of several ways that were better for his health._

He felt a yell escape his lips before he even thought to call for help.

He was up to his hips in dirt before an arrow whizzed by his head. Cap heard it thunk deep into the ground and the pulling stopped for a much needed moment. In that second Steve was able to think past the pain and kicked with his other leg. Despite it being constricted by the cold soil, the kick had enough force to knock the weakened arm from the torso of the armor.

Cap dragged himself out of the hole the armor had created, the clamp of the arm still attached to his calf. He ripped it off, tearing flesh and leather. He limped out from behind the construction site and into the main turf of the battle before that rock-crusher had a chance to pull him under again. He looked for Hawkeye.

He spotted him on the edge of the field. He was trying to avoid getting into Iron Man's way. The armor had seen better days.

It was being swarmed by five armored Illanians now and with the broader attacks and imprecise execution that both the armor and the Illanians were practicing, Hawkeye was in trouble.

Steve wasn't sure the exact implications of the kind of interface Tony had set up with his armor, but it wasn't giving him a broad enough scope of the battlefield. Cap honestly didn't think that Tony saw Hawkeye there.

The other Avengers were busy by the refinery and_ arrows_ wouldn't stop deep-sea simulator cannons and stray high-tech repulsor rays. Steve moved as fast as his leg would allow. He wasn't sure if it was broken, but it sure didn't feel right.

Clint managed to dodge another repulsor ray before letting an arrow fly straight into the main cannon of one of the terra-densers. That was when the Illanians noticed him. Two pushed the Iron Man armor down into the gravel while the other three turned to Hawkeye.

Cap was still too far away and moving too slowly to do anything.

Barton unsuccessfully tried to feign left away from the rock crushers grip. The armor clamped his shoulder. His bow fell. The main cannon of a terra-denser alligned itself with Clint's face as its partner grounded the blond. _The helplessness of when he'd been forced to watch Clint's death before tore a path through Cap's mind. The fire. The explosion..._

"No!" Cap yelled, raising his shield to throw it, not allowing himself to admit it wouldn't make a difference at this distance.

Before he even had a chance to try, another blast from Iron Man's chest RT sent a shockwave through the field.

Suddenly Tony Stark was in top form. His repulsor blasts and micro-munitions were all hitting their targets like Tony had his full satellite system at bay and the mind of a machine. Scraps of metal flew and Captain America knew that Tony Stark was showing these men whose armor was greater. The Illanians began their retreat.

Then Cap's vision burned white. _Wait? What had happened?_

Cap truly had no idea. He'd stood there, watching it all and he still wasn't sure.

_Had Tony's armor just destroyed the Illanian's from the inside out?_ Whatever it was, Clint was free, two Illanian armors were down for the count, and Iron Man was just standing there.

Cap hefted his shield to his back. Taking a deep breath, he joined the other two to assess what next to do.

"Way to save the big show till the end Stark." Hawkeye said, popping the Iron Man armor on the arm and taking a step back to survey the damage.

"Good job, Iron Man. We'll actually be able to interview an Illanian." Cap motioned toward the two unconscious individuals.

There was no answer.

Cap eyed the armor for a second.

"Hawkeye. Sit on top of those two and if they even so much as twitch shoot them with an arrow. We're not letting them Houdini their way out of this one."

"Right." Clint answered, looking his shoulder over for battle damage. "It's like the second coming with these guys."

Steve found his vision wander back to the red and gold.

"What happened? Did they have to be in Wonderland?" Spiderman's voice shook Steve from staring at the still, quiet Iron Man armor any longer.

"What do you mean?" Cap asked him, as Peter walked up to him hailing from the side closest to the refinery.

"I mean everybody left. They just stopped fighting and ran for the rabbit hole. And then Tony nukes these two. I could see it from over there. That _was_ the Iron Man armor wasn't it?"

"Yes." Steve allowed.

"Was it an EMP pulse?" Peter asked, looking over towards the armor, expecting Tony to answer.

"You know you just said _electromagnetic pulse pulse_ right?" Clint shouted to Pete in return.

Before Peter had a chance to argue semantics with Hawkeye, Cap interrupted.

"Peter, go get Carol and tell her to call SHIELD and get a containment team for these two." He stated, pointing toward the Illanians. "And then do a sweep and check for any other debris that may be useful."

"Yeah, ok." Peter said in that annoyingly perceptive voice of his.

Cap walked silently over to the armor and whispered, trying to keep his voice from where Clint sat with the earth-armor, a good distance away.

"Tony…" He said quietly.

Nothing_. Had the armor shut itself down?_

"Tony."

Steve sighed, unclipping his communicator from his waist and bringing it to his lips.

"Tony?" he asked, knowing it would go directly to Stark's line in the Tower.

"Tony, if you don't answer me, I'm selling your armor for scraps I swear to god." He whispered through a fake smile, surveying the area around him.

_He'd better be ok. _

"Cap!" He heard Hank's voice answer him through the comm.. "Listen Tony's fine, but can you get the armor back to the Tower? You've got an override code."

Steve paused for a moment.

"I'll take care of it. But where's Tony?"

"He's right here. The Extremis connection just took a lot out of him. He wasn't supposed to use it but then Clint…" Hank said, trailing off.

"I thought he still couldn't access Extremis." Cap said, pulling his cowl from his face.

"Uh, no he can he just shouldn't…"

"I thought you needed time to work on a glitch? The one Ultron exploited."

"Glitch no it's… listen he wants to talk to you about that himself so… I have to go."

"Hank what?" Cap looked down at his communicator link, not quite comprehending the notion that Hank Pym had just _hung up_ on him.

He allowed himself to scoff in disbelief.

Cap looked around the battlefield and spotted Peter webbing a cement pillar and dragging it toward him. Underneath Cap could see bits of Illanian armor.

_Good eye Pete._

"Spiderman… Can you do me one more favor? Let everyone know that the debriefing will be 0900 tomorrow."

Peter paused from his labors and gave a quick salute.

"No problem C.A." He stated in a much too chipper voice.

Cap nodded and walked back over to the suit of armor. It hadn't moved since that last burst of energy that had kept Hawkeye from getting his head smashed in.

_ What was it? What was wrong? _His heart was beginning to race.

Executing the code that ended its reign as a statue, the armor confirmed that Captain America was now in command of it.

"Take me to Tony." Cap ordered, double checking the status of his shield and trying to ignore the uneasy feeling working up his insides.

--

He'd left the suit in the garage and had told it to power down before he made his way up to Tony's pent house. That's where the GPS location system had said Tony was currently located.

He'd deal with Hank later.

Steve opened the bedroom door with his shield. Trying not to limp, his boots resonated throughout the rather expansive suite as the door slammed shut behind him.

Cap tossed his shield, knowing it would land with a thunk and a crash by the bedroom dressers without leaving too much damage.

Tony didn't even stir from his place in bed.

Cap ripped his mail shirt from its holdings and heard it fall to the ground with the familiar metallic clink of scales and fabric.

Next came the boots which he pulled off one after another and held them in his hands. He walked over to the sleeping form of Tony Stark and let his boots drop to the floor right by the man's head.

Tony's eyes narrowed slightly and he moved in the sheets.

This scene was getting old. Steve wasn't doing this again.

He was beyond frustration.

He was beyond annoyance and worry.

Steve was scared.

"Tony…" He stated calmly.

"Tony." He let his voice encompass the room.

He didn't know what to think. It was fine if Extremis was acting up. Cap understood that with Maya Hansen the creator of the Extremis dead, Tony had to rediscover all of its subtleties and how it fully integrated into his systems alone. It was fine if Tony couldn't be on active duty a while longer. But Tony shouldn't have lied to him. Shouldn't have said he was play worthy when he couldn't even control his own powers.

He could say that Tony shouldn't have lied because it was endangering the team. _He could say it and have it be true_, but in his heart Steve knew that it was because he didn't want to loose Tony. Not again. Not when everything was so new. Not when this was supposed to last forever.

"Wake up Avenger!" Cap barked.

Tony's eyes flashed open and then squinted against the lights. He put his hand to his head.

Cap let out a breath he'd been holding and knelled before the bed.

"Cap." Tony breathed. "Everything finish ok?"

Cap sighed slowly. "Everything went fine after you passed out."

Tony scowled.

_Low blow_.

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong with Extremis?"

Tony leaned his head back further on the pillow, his face tight in exasperation.

"Extremis is fine. I told you I couldn't go on missions personally for a while."

"And that's fine Tony. Sit up. But you can't tell me nothing's wrong when you pass out after using Extremis for all of 10 minutes."

Tony was unsuccessfully attempting to prop himself up with his elbows.

"So tell me what's wrong." Cap stated, as Tony's head once again hit the pillow.

"Not right now." Tony's voice was slightly dazed.

"Oh… no?" Cap asked, his tone deep.

"No." Tony looked at Steve in all seriousness. Cap clenched his jaw in response. "Not now. But I will."

"Why not now?" The pleading in his voice was a stab of guilt in Tony's side.

Tony squeezed his eyes shut.

"My head's all heavy in the _haven't slept in 40 hours_ way." Tony said, breathing deeply. "It wouldn't come out now… wouldn't come out right to say it now." He corrected. "I can't go on missions for a while. I thought I'd be able to. I wish I--"

"I don't care about that Tony! Look at me. Does it look like I care about _the Avengers_ right now?"

Tony met his gaze. "Don't say that. People need the Avengers."

"I need you."

Tony gave Cap an exhausted smile.

"I must really be driving you crazy." Tony tried laughing.

Cap felt his teeth grind together. "Please don't be dying."

The look of shock on Tony's face spoke for him. "Is _that_ what you think? _Shit_."

His left hand shot out to grab behind Cap's neck.

"God Steve. No. I promise no."

Cap bent his head down into Tony's chest. Tony grabbed him tight.

"None of this is getting better." Steve whispered. "And you won't tell me why. With everything I've heard about Extremis... the survival rate is minimal. I don't know what the longevity is…"

"No. It is better. I get this better. It's better." Tony kept repeating. "God I wish I could think. My mind's all over the place." Tony laughed again. "I'm fine Steve. I'm not dying. _I'm not_. Please, you believe me."

Steve buried his head deeper into Tony's chest. He took in his feel, his smell. He had been so afraid, so _sure_ that he'd lose Tony again.

_Tony said he wasn't going away. He wasn't dying_.

Steve had been so sure, so sure he'd wanted to...

"I won't lie. This hurts. Not knowing hurts. You said you'll tell me… you'll tell me. I won't ask again. But just know that you're not getting rid of me. Never again. And we can talk about anything. We have to talk." Steve pulled away from Tony to look him in the eyes. "It's better when we talk."

Steve couldn't survive another experience like Civil War.

_He hadn't survived the first. _

"I know that." Tony responded. He settled his mouth into a lop-sided grin. "Listen… Extremis is working overtime on something, and when I try to access it for other things--"

"I thought Reed and Hank fixed it."

"It's not malfunctioning. I want it to be working on this."

Cap's eyes implored Tony to explain further.

Tony's grip on Cap loosened, he looked away.

"Steve… I have to tell you something, _obviously_. But I don't know _how_ yet. So I need you to work with me on this. I don't think I can tell you now."

Cap tried to keep his face neutral.

"It hurts when you look at me like that." Tony mouthed, his eyes threatening to close again.

"I love you." Steve replied, moving over Tony and climbing into the middle of the bed. He pulled Tony closer to him and held him like he thought Tony might break or disappear without a trace.

"Can't go on missions… Not even just armor… too tempting to use Extremis. If I was out there and _you_ were about to be hurt…" Tony murmured dozily.

_You'd what? If Tony had noticed him being pulled down by the Illanians... Then, he'd what? Not die, he said he wasn't going to die... Then why did all of Steve's thoughts go back to that?_

Steve kept it to himself.

"That doesn't matter." He said instead. "Missions don't matter right now. You just get better." Steve tried to be comforting. He wasn't sure how effective he was being; For Tony or himself.

Tony Stark was asleep again.

Captain America was very much awake.

--

Thanks for all the awesome reviews!!


	7. Chapter 3c Avowal

Chapter 3c- part 3 of 4- Avowal

Tony sat at the kitchen counter after finally waking up around two o'clock the following afternoon. He smiled slightly at Jarvis who was buzzing around the kitchen, yet again marveling at the fact that _his Tony Stark_ was voluntarily vying for food.

Tony had realized that the second his error-induced headache had passed, food took up a lot more of his thoughts then it should have considering everything he had going on. Beast had been right, Extremis was very demanding on his systems and apparently he'd never actually eaten enough before in his life. And while the nausea was still there, he didn't actually throw-up anymore. Except sometimes in the morning…

He was beginning to understand why they called it _morning sickness_ instead of the all day puke-fest he'd entertained for 3 weeks straight. He wasn't sure if that was just him, or if women had to suffer _all day vomit fun_ sometimes in pregnancy as well.

_Weeks…_

Tony began to count mentally. It had been about three months since he and Cap had finally gotten together. That first time… _could it have been then_?

And now he had what? Half a year?

Everything was happening so quickly.

Tony took a deep breath as he forced his eyes to focus on what Jarvis was doing in the kitchen.

Things that had been said last night were a bit of a blur to him. He'd tried so hard to stay fully awake. The gist he'd been able to gather together was that Steve had thought he was dying.

_Great. _

_He should just tell him. _

_He should just tell Cap and then deal with the fallout. _

_It was better then leading Steve down a road he may not want to follow. _

Before Tony could dwell any longer, Jarvis placed a plate of baked ziti and a glass of water on the counter. The thought of his patron fully appreciating his cooking abilities _at long last_ was evident on the older man's face.

"Has food always been this good?" Tony joked, seeing Jarvis smile.

"Only when prepared by me Sir." Jarvis replied proudly, not missing a beat.

The click of designer heels on his hardwood floor notified Tony of another presence in the Tower. Janet Van Dyne walked up behind him and took a seat at the counter to his right.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked between bites.

"Why does no one want me around?" She answered as though talking to herself.

"Cute. No, I thought you were working on your new line for--" Tony started.

"Oh that." Jan waved her hand. "Yeah, no I am." She replied, pulling Tony's plate of food closer to herself and accepting the fork Jarvis offered.

Tony eyed Jarvis like he'd been betrayed as the man quickly retreated into the living room to pretend to clean.

"I have a date though." Jan said, stabbing at the zucchini on his plate.

"Hank?" Tony responded hopefully, forking at the pieces Jan was trying to steal.

"Nope. With you." She smiled at him broadly. Tony hesitated in his quest to save his food.

"I love Hank, but he can't stand social gatherings. And you look so good in a tux."

"Hmm… who do you need me to schmooze?"

She scoffed at him in faux offense. "Come now Mr. Stark, I only need you to be your charming self." She smiled again. "I'd go stag but the designing contractor I'm trying to impress is somewhat of a _traditionalist_." Distain dripped from the word.

"So your plan is to bring the bisexual billionaire?"

"Hey…" She shrugged. "Don't ask don't tell."

"When?" Tony asked, taking another bite of food.

"Two weeks from Saturday."

Tony raised an eyebrow. That would equal fourteen weeks. That should be fine right? No one would notice that soon if he went out would they? _It should be fine_.

"Will there be food at least?" He replied nonchalantly. "Since you're eating all of mine now?"

Jan's smile widened and her eyes sparkled brightly with intent. It was enough for Tony to sit back in his chair and eye her wearily.

Jan reached over to pat Tony's stomach.

"Plenty for both of you." She said earnestly, putting her fork down and pushing her chair back from the counter.

Tony was frozen in place.

She kissed him near his ear, then stood up. "Thanks Tony! I've got to get down to design for fittings. So much to do and no time at all!" Jan stated breezily, wafting her way to the Tower's main set of elevators.

Tony managed a small sound in response.

_The reality of this was getting huge. It wouldn't be just Cap who would find out. It was everyone._

He fought the urge to laugh hysterically.

"You just see a ghost?" The smooth voice of Carol Danvers was enough to bring him back to reality.

"I will." Tony responded tightly, turning to look toward the lift.

Carol sat down next to him. "Was that Jan?" She looked in the same direction.

"Yes." He replied, barely moving his lips.

"Ok…" Confusion was evident in her voice. She sighed. "Listen Tony are you busy?"

"No not at all." He said firmly. "I just have to call Hank and then figure out a way to _kill him through the phone_."

"Any particular reason?" She asked him, her voice sounding strained.

Tony finally looked over at her.

Carol was wearing a shirt and jeans, her blonde hair up in a pony tail. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping well.

"No it's nothing." He replied, giving her his full attention.

She noticed the shift in his awareness and all but started to fidget.

"Tony I just wanted to apologize." She stated, stumbling to get the words out.

He blinked. _Whatever for?_

"I was unfair to you. I understand better _why_ now but… that doesn't excuse my actions. Or lack of action." Her voice was strained. _It was hurting her to admit this_.

Tony stared at her blankly, not quite certain how to respond. He felt as though he should have seen something like this coming. He had no idea what she was talking about. He really had been wrapped up in his own life lately…

"I need you to know that I'm right here. And that I do know how you feel." She continued.

His first thought was that Hank had just gone around telling all of the Avengers everything but... that couldn't be right. He took in a breath to say something, and found that he honestly couldn't think of what response to give other then '_thanks… ditto' or 'what the hell are you talking about?'_. With Carol's eyes looking at him in that haunted and all too familiar way, he knew that wasn't the right thing to do at all.

He remained silent.

"I mean, I've seen you…" Carol looked down at the countertop in front of her. "You stay so strong. And you held up so well through everything." She absently picked up Tony's glass of water. "And so after we had the Skrull under control, and then you and Cap finally…" Her grip around the glass slowly tightened. She started swirling the water around, her eyes never leaving it.

Finally she slammed the glass down against the counter, the water spilling slightly, and looked Tony Stark in the eye.

"Everything was going so _perfect_ for you and to see you drink again! Well…" She looked back down at the glass. "It just really hit home that I'm never going to be out of the woods. Not truly." Tony could see her lips form a small smile. "It just wasn't a very pretty realization… that's all."

Then her face scrunched up like she'd forgotten something. "But this isn't about me." She placed her hand on top of his, squeezing lightly. "I… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. You needed my support and all I could do was glare at you or ignore you completely. And that's not who I am. I'm _not_ that person… the one who ignores her problems or her friends. _Not anymore_." She ended her words quietly, her face falling away from his.

Tony's mind was racing. _What could he say to that? Should he tell her the truth right then? He'd have to eventually… but Cap deserved to know first didn't he?_ Tony'd never meant to hurt Carol in any way.

"I'm sorry that I let you down." He opted to say.

"Tony… I'm just glad you're feeling better." Carol was shaking her head.

"You're support means a lot to me. Thank you for telling me all of that." He paused. "It couldn't have been easy to say."

She smiled. "Sometimes the only way to say something is to just say it."

Tony swallowed his breath.

"You're exactly right."

He took his hand back as he glanced across the kitchen. "Have you seen Cap?"

"Uh," Carol stopped to think. "Yeah I saw him about twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah?" Tony twisted back around to face her.

"He was on the phone with Mr. Fantastic and then he kind of ran off..."

"Reed?"

Carol nodded, tucking a stray blonde strand behind her ear as she did so. "I only heard the tail end of the conversation. He hung up and knocked into me on his way out the door." She said with a tint of leftover surprise in her voice. "He didn't say when he'd be back." She shrugged. "He said sorry though."

"For bumping into me." She added when Tony didn't respond. "You ok?" Carol asked, taking a sip of Tony's water.

"I'm fine." He responded with what was one of the biggest lies of his life.

* * *

Tony had forgotten about the board meeting he was supposed to have held at 10 am that morning. _Alright he hadn't so much forgotten as he'd been unconscious at the time._ He'd already canceled one board meeting, and had been sick to the one before that… if Rhodey hadn't gone this morning in his place he was fairly certain he would have had to start looking for a new job.

_And the stockholders were usually _so_ understanding… _

The damage having been done, and other things preoccupying his mind, he had thought to just take care of it _after_ he'd had a chance to talk to Steve.

But now Tony found himself sitting behind his desk finally hanging up the phone for what seemed like the fifteenth time.

He had rushed down to his office once Mrs. Arbogast had threatened to quit and take the coffee machine with her.

Tony had called each individual board member himself _and had talked to those who had bothered to pick up_. He'd worry about the rest later. He was almost certain that the others all loved him again… or could at least tolerate his antics.

After the majority of Stark's technology had become corrupt during the Skrull invasion, Tony had been forced to rebuild a lot of his tech from scratch. The board members would have been in much worse shape, _if not completely bankrupt_, if he hadn't been there for industrial damage control. It didn't mean that he could be completely off his leash, but he did receive more free range for his "idiosyncrasies" and "pet projects" as of late.

To further placate his stockholders he'd said he was working on a project concerning pediatrics and had gotten wrapped up in the maternalness of it all. It'd be true soon enough and they'd seemed happy with it.

_Now he had to come up with a project concerning children… not that that was a bad thing--_

Tony froze mid thought as he could have sworn he heard Steve's voice outside his office door.

He quickly swung it open and almost wished he hadn't. _It was Steve_. But instead of the drive he'd felt earlier in the day, that same _useless anxious panicky_ emotion flooded his systems.

_Did he know? Would he forgive him for not telling him sooner?_ _Did he want the baby?_

"Hey." He managed.

"You're in your office." Steve managed back. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Cap looked at Mrs. Arbogast then over to Tony. Mrs. Arbogast patted Steve's hand in a placating way and turned back to her computer.

Having nothing in the way of reinforcements, Cap ambled slowly toward Tony's office door. It was pretty evident that he had thought Tony wasn't going to be there.

Tony closed the door behind them.

_God… What do I say? How do I say this?_

"You're awake." Cap began lamely. He looked affronted by his own communicating skills the second he'd said it.

"Yeah. Uh--"

"So are you free on the 25th?"

"What?" Tony looked up at him in surprise.

"Are you free the 25th?" Cap repeated. "I was going to ask Mrs. Arbogast but since you're here I can ask you."

Tony looked towards his desk. "To tell you the truth I have no idea. You'll probably have to ask Mrs. A anyway." Tony furrowed his brow. "Wait, is that a Friday or a Saturday because Jan has me going to a dinner on Saturday."

"It's a Sunday. Jan invited you to that too?"

_Jan invited Steve._

_Jan invited Steve?_

_Was that what she'd meant by the two of us?_

"Oh thank God." Tony exclaimed before he could help himself.

"What?" Steve shot him a confused look.

"Nothing. So, Jan invited you before you talked to Reed then?"

Steve's look went from confused to terrified.

"How did you hear about that?" He stated with effort.

Tony sighed. "I didn't want you to find out that way Steve I am so sorry." He said, moving to lean against his desk. He moved his hand to his head.

"Find out what… what way?" Steve stumbled, moving closer to Tony.

Tony looked up at him. "That… the…" Tony paused.

_He didn't know._

"What I should have told you last night." He avowed.

"Reed knows? _Of course Reed would know_." Steve chided himself as he moved to lean against the desk right next to Tony, their arms brushing together.

"So then what were you talking to Reed about?" Tony asked, once his curiosity cut through the twelve different emotions he was currently feeling.

"Nothing!" Steve said too quickly. He looked over at Tony who shot him a look. "I mean. That's why I wanted to know if you were free the 25th. I... it was supposed to be a surprise. I was trying to get passes to this Science Convention…"

"At the Javits Center?" Tony asked, momentarily excited despite himself.

Steve quickly allowed himself to smile. "Reed thought you'd like it."

"Why--" Tony looked over at the other man. Cap's light blue eyes settled on his and Tony had to stop.

_How cliché was that? Steve took his breath away._

"Hell this is all backwards." Steve said, sounding exasperated. Tony looked at him oddly.

_Wasn't Cap upset with him? Disappointed? Why would he be planning dates?_

"It's just that it was supposed to be a surprise… all of this… but I don't even care anymore_… I've only practiced saying this twice_." Cap rung his fingers through his hair. It was a very _un-Cap-like_ thing to do.

"Tony, you have to know that the incident with Ultron... that wasn't the first time I'd thought about being with you. There were so many times, so many different ways I dreamt about telling you and I was never brave enough. _I was never brave enough._ That's over. I'm never keeping things like that inside anymore. You… and me… Well everything we've been through and what I feel now… It's how I know this will work despite how fast it all must seem." Steve moved from Tony's side and centered himself in front of the other man, a hand on the desk at either side of him. "Tony I have to ask you something."

Tony could feel the heat from Cap's skin against his own. It felt like home. "Ok…"

Steve brushed the hair from Tony's eyes. He replaced his hand by Tony's side and leaned forward. Their foreheads touched.

"There comes a point in every person's life when they have to ask themself _is this what I want? Is this what I hoped for? Am I on the right path_?" Steve began. He straightened to look Tony in the eyes. "Back in the past, my past, I thought that that was it. That that was going to be my highest purpose in life, I thought I was content with… with being who I was in the war. That would have been a fulfilling life. A wonderful and painful life."

He paused, looking off slightly, recognizing those memories for what they were.

_Memories._

"And then I came here. And I met you." Steve smiled. "And I realized I didn't know what contentment even was. The Avengers and you… you put a drive back into my life. A greater purpose then I could have ever imagined. A brand new life that still included everything I wanted to stand for. I am a soldier. _Always_. But I'm an Avenger now first. Which is something I never thought possible. And while I might be an Avenger, like you are, I'm also a man. And what Iron Man gave to Captain America, Tony Stark gave to Steve Rogers." Steve took a step back.

Tony followed him with his eyes.

"I don't dare imagine my life without you in it. I don't think I'd last very long. You've shown me again and again that people can overcome so many things. You really inspire me Tony, you do!" He added, when Tony scoffed slightly. "You have a heart that just won't quit, and it's one worth protecting."

"You make me want to try harder, and you keep me in line. I know I'm stubborn. I've been an icon for half of my life. It can go to a person's head." He smiled again.

Tony wanted to disagree.

"I've decided that I don't care what this is." Steve flipped his hand, alluding to the secret Tony had been hiding.

"I realized that the only thing that's getting me upset is the thought of losing you. So I've decided to fix that… today."

Steve Rogers bent down on one knee.

"Tony Stark. Be mine. Forever."

"Marry me?" He asked, taking his hand.

Tony just stared at him.

"I don't actually have the ring with me right now." Cap said, slightly blushing. "I wasn't expecting to say this yet and I was talking to Pepper about rings, which was slightly scarier then talking to Fury about bachelor parties and…" Steve refocused his gaze. "Tony... Tony say something."

"I'm pregnant."

_Sometimes the only way to say something is to just say it._

"Steve… I… I didn't plan on telling you this way either." Tony said, kneeling down to join Cap who had managed to sit back on his heels. He was still holding Tony's hand. "I just didn't know how, and then it seemed like I was waiting for something… I don't know what. _But I don't think it was that_."

"You could've just said no. You didn't have to make shit up." Cap tried to pull his hand away but Tony fought back.

"Damnit Steve I'm serious! There's a baby. Right here." Tony touched his abdomen with his other hand.

"That isn't funny Stark." Cap sounded angry and hurt. Tony wasn't getting through to him.

Tony tightened his grasp around Cap's wrist until his own hand hurt.

"Steven, I swear on my Mother's grave."

The expression on Captain America's face changed instantly.

"Wha… How?" Steve breathed.

Tony's eyes flickered between Steve's. He couldn't read Cap's reaction. There was something on the other man's face that Tony had never seen before.

"The really really _really_ short version of it is that Extremis and Ultron used our DNA to--" Tony started.

"Our DNA." Cap interrupted. "It's mine."

It wasn't a question.

"Yes. It's _ours_ and I am so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner and I understand if you need time to think about--" Tony stopped mid-sentence.

Cap was laughing. There was a huge smile spread across his face.

"It's mine!" He said again.

Then his laughter stopped and his face grew serious.

"How could you not tell me about this? Are you ok? You didn't seem ok last night."

"I… that was a mistake on my part but I've got everything figured out now I think and--"

"Ultron." Cap's voice was dark.

Tony sat back on the floor. "Yes and no. Trust me, Hank's panicking enough for the both of us."

"With good reason." Cap's grip on Tony's hand tightened.

"Everything says that the baby's unaffected by Ultron. It's just you… and me… and that's it."

"The baby..." Steve said aloud, perhaps to make it real. Then his face twisted again in concern.

"But how is Ultron still affecting _you_?"

"I'm fine." Tony responded automatically, though he had never even thought how Ultron might still be affecting _him_. "I really am."

Steve considered that for a while.

"Hank and Reed and Beast are all losing sleep though." Tony smiled. "It's all very fascinating for the scientists. Less so for the lab rat." Tony touched his chest.

Steve paused to look at Tony's stomach. "It's me and you."

"Yeah." Tony said quietly, looking down as well.

A cautious smile returned to Cap's face. "And it's ok?" He reached out his hand then stopped, looking at Tony once more.

"Yeah." Tony whispered. "Extremis is making sure of that."

Steve's face looked as though a lot of things were finally clicking into place and making sense now that everything was out in the open.

"A baby."

"I had no idea how you'd take it." Tony said truthfully.

"I just… I've always wanted this some day and now it's all here and I have no idea what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

Steve smiled again and moved in to wrap his arms around the dark haired man. He kissed him fully and deeply, breathing him in. He held Tony as tightly as he could realizing that there so much more to protect.

He held desperately to Tony on the floor of Stark's office and fought to understand the waves of emotion going through him.

Tony tried to pull back. Steve eventually let the kiss end.

"Yes." Tony stated, out of breath.

"Yes?" Steve murmured, going in for another kiss, never before wanting to be so close to Tony then at this very moment.

"Yes I'll marry you." Tony responded, not bothering to push Steve away.

Cap laughed. Their lips met again.

"Oh yeah…" Steve replied.

--


	8. Chapter 3d Just the Beginning

This marks the end of Volume 1! (also the first trimester :P) We'll start posting Volume 2 soon! :3

Moth- Chapter 3d (4 of 4)- Just the Beginning

"What makes you think it's anything other then the fact that he fell off the wagon for a minute?" Carol Danvers stated, her voice bordering on annoyance.

"Did you see his lab?" Clint answered.

Peter shifted in his seat by the television set.

"Well no… but I had this conversation with him and--"

"Maybe it's mind control." Luke offered.

"Seriously? That's been done to death." Hawkeye leaned his head back against the couch.

"So. This isn't a soap opera." Luke stated, defending his decision. "Just because it's happened before… _a lot_… doesn't mean it couldn't be happening now."

"It's not mind control." Peter said cautiously, piping up for the first time since they'd started this conversation.

They were supposed to be watching a movie. _I, Robot_ to be exact. One thing had led to another and needless to say their conversation had turned to _what the hell was up with Tony Stark?_.

"Well then what is it?" Hawkeye asked crisply, raising an eyebrow at his little brother.

"It's just Cap and Tony working things through because of the alcohol." Carol said as Peter countered with "I think it's Extremis related."

"I thought they were done fighting over Extremis." Luke sighed. "We had like _twelve_ people come over and do Frankenstein shit down in the garage."

"No they are, but I think something's _wrong_ with Extremis. Not just a glitch. Jarvis incinerated a lot of bio-scans a while ago… they were everywhere. And then Tony did that weird thing at the oil refinery yesterday."

"So… what? Tony's body is rejecting Extremis?" Carol asked apprehensively.

Peter shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want to say it in such succinct terms. That made it a very real and scary option.

"Whatever it is, Cap was awfully distracted during the debriefing this morning. And he's been running around like a chicken with his head cut off all day. I heard he called a meeting with Fury?"

Clint shook his head. "I think this is Ultron related."

"Ultron? Why? That happened months ago." Carol turned in her seat to face Clint.

Clint looked at the ceiling. "I don't know. I heard Hank and Jan having one of their 'discussions' that sounds a lot like fighting. She sounded pissed. Like the kind of mad that she gets when he doesn't tell her things about Ultron, or something else equally important. And like you said," Clint gestured toward Luke. "they did all that mad scientist stuff down in the garage. If anyone can tell us what's going on, it's Hank, Richards, or Beast."

"Or we could ask Tony himself." Peter stated, a tad defensive.

Clint glared at him. "You're new here. My money's on getting _Hank_ to actually tell us the truth."

Peter couldn't exactly _argue_ with that one...

"What are you going to do, corner the man in his lab and threaten his bugs?" Luke asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't like doing nothing." Clint responded. He shut his eyes for a second before stretching out his arms.

And that was when Peter realized something. Clint Barton was legitimately worried about Tony. Not just concerned or curious... he was a little bit scared.

No one else seemed to notice.

Then the steady voice of Captain America caused all of the Avengers to jump slightly.

"They're still here." The group could hear him say.

"Of course they're still here. It's only seven. And the television I gave them is gigantic beyond all reason."

_Tony's voice. _It was coming from the elevators and heading their way.

"I told you we should have gone up to _your_ room."

"And I told _you_ I want to be on _that_ bed."

The couple came into view and stopped just inside the entertainment center's boundaries.

"Hey guys." Clint said with a broad smile.

Tony grinned back with Steve grasping him firmly around the waist.

Cap's ears immediately turned red in the way _you knew he was up to something and he didn't want you to know he was up to something_.

Tony just stared ahead happily.

Whatever the problem that had been between them had seemingly been patched up and forgotten.

"It's too late now anyway, they all know exactly what we're up to." Tony winked at Steve.

"Tony!" Cap turned impossibly redder.

Luke actually laughed.

"Right well... ok then. Enjoy your movie." Steve stammered out, practically running to his room, hugging Tony in tow.

"You're lucky this damn place is sound proof!" Clint yelled after him, as they heard the door to Cap's room slam shut.

Peter sighed, perplexed.

_Did this mean Tony was all better? Or just that Cap/Tony was all better?_

* * *

They were in his bedroom again.

Everything outside had been forgotten.

Tony had told Steve they would go over everything about the baby in long boring detail. And Cap did want to know. He wanted to know about _everything_ that had allowed for this marvel to occur. He did. Soon. But right _now_ all he wanted was to...

To think that first time they had… in this room... white sheets and the shield hanging above them…

_He was going to be a father._

The warmth blooming in Steve's body must have paled in comparison to the miracle within Tony's.

Steve felt hands reaching for him. Cap grasped them and drew the fingers to his lips, his tongue discovering the finger which would hold Steve's ring, of the promise of their future together as a family.

He heard Tony moan as his hips sent them both onto the bed.

Cap was going to savor every moment of this, every movement, every touch.

Fingers slipped the buttons on shirts open.

Pants were discarded to the floor, their movements were one. Everything was gone. Nothing but their bodies together, seeking the same feeling. The inescapable truth of what they meant to one another.

For all the hurt they put each other through… and all the joy.

"Tony..."

Steve fidgeted under his fiancé's caress.

Tony paused and looked up at him. His eyes were so bright. Steve couldn't remember ever seeing him this way before, this unadulterated happiness.

While Steve was not normally a greedy man that look inspired him, it made him want more.

He wanted to see Tony laid out before him.

Sitting up quickly, Steve held onto his lover and flipped him gently on the bed.

With one arm he lifted Tony's hands above his head and with the other he held Tony's face before leaning back down and kissing him fiercely.

His tongue slipped into the warmth of Tony's mouth.

He tasted apples.

Something was different. He hadn't put it together before.

It was strange to realize that Tony's mouth had been absent of the tang of coffee for days now.

Tony was cutting back; it was the first tangible evidence of the truth that he'd played over and over again in his mind. Tony had their child growing inside of him and he knew caffeine may not be good.

It was such a simple thing but he found himself letting go of Tony's arms and moving slowly down the man's chest until he reached the navel. He pressed his tongue into the indentation before kissing it and laying his head on his lover's abdomen, straining to hear the heartbeat of the life they had created in this very room.

All he could hear was Tony's laughter.

"No. Steve, I swear to god this is the first time in weeks I have not been nauseous, and you proposed, and we _are_ having a baby but that does not mean I am going six months without--"

Steve choked on his breath trying to hold in his laughter at the exasperated tone of his fiancé. Finally, he couldn't help but release it.

Stark smiled up at him impishly.

"Tony, we haven't checked whether it's safe for us. I mean this might-- I really want to. But now that I'm thinking… I mean... Tony have you talked with Reed and them about this." Steve panted out, managing to finally push Tony away. He tried to hold him at arm's length.

"Kinky, you want me to talk about our sex life with other men now." The light tone of Tony's voice indicated his level of seriousness. Steve scowled at him.

Tony smirked, returning his attention to the area below Steve's waistline. "If you must know… I talked to Beast. He said it was fine."

Steve dropped his protestations; his arms fell to his sides. "Really?" He asked, hopefully.

"Do you want this Steve?" Unlike the playfulness of the earlier teasing Tony's voice now held a note of insecurity.

"With all my heart." Steve reached out to touch Tony's face.

"Promise."

Steve internally shook his head. He was certain in time he could show Tony he needn't have any insecurities about the depth of his love for him.

_And it really was endless._

"I love you Tony Stark." Tony smiled at that and their actions gained momentum from there.

The warmth was amazing. A steady rhythm grew and Steve felt the pressure inside of him build.

Tony's body moved against him harder and he could hear his lover's breath stagger as he held it, released, and gasped again.

They had made a life together, and they were going to start their life together. It was...

"Perfect!" Steve heard himself exclaim.

This was forever.

--

**End of Volume One**


	9. Chapter 4a Life's a Party

**Chapter 4.1**

"How could you possibly think I wouldn't notice this?"

No response.

"Tony?"

Still nothing.

"Hank!"

"Don't look at _me_. It wasn't my idea. I didn't even want him to bring it here. It's top level SHIELD security clearance, which I don't have, in the middle of my lab."

"It's your week to do my check up." Tony countered, finally not ignoring the conversation. "How else was I supposed to get you away from your ants?"

"Not by dragging half a metric ton of metal confiscated from the Illanians up here and throwing it on my desk."

"_One_ of your desks. And the lift didn't throw it… it just got overzealous. Maybe I should look at it."

"Electronics are acting funny around you; I already added it to your list of symptoms."

"You make it sound like a cold."

"Tony! I'm not talking about the armor." Steve tried again.

Tony spun in his seat next to Hank on the newly reopened floor of Stark Tower dedicated to scientific and technological discovery. This entire section of the level had been handed over to Hank to do with what he willed.

"Steve. What are you doing here?" Tony asked, his eyes already sliding back to the computer monitors in front of him. He had a piece of the Illanian armor in his hands. He was obviously still working on deciphering it despite being told to get ready over an hour ago.

"If we don't leave now… Jan will skewer both of us alive. You were supposed to be getting ready remember? I dragged you out of the garage myself." _He obviously hadn't made it all the way to the pent house. _

Tony had turned his back on him, moving random parts of the new armor and watching the readouts on the screens to his left.

Hank was being no help, simply returning to this week's bio scans.

"I'm not going to be the only one she kills Tony Stark. SHIELD has this under control. Fury told me he'd keep me updated on the Illanians. That goes for their armor as well."

"SHIELD is busy handling Skrull. I'm just trying to help." Tony stated, lost in the equations he saw on the monitor. He was obviously entrenched in this more for himself than anything that resembled helping Nick Fury.

"That's great! So help after the party." Steve said, placing his big sturdy hands down on Tony's shoulders.

Tony looked away from the monitor and down across the assemblage of lifeless metal. He let out a breath.

"I still don't know what it was." He stated quietly.

Cap knew exactly what he meant; the electrical resonance that had allowed them to arrest the Illanians in the first place.

"Didn't come from my armor. Might have come from me. Short-circuited them using Extremis." Tony was talking to himself, absently running a finger across the suit.

Steve allowed himself a second to look at the data on the screens that Tony had been searching, knowing that they wouldn't make any sense to him.

They didn't.

"Can you do that?" Cap ventured.

Tony tilted his head slightly. "I can do a lot of things from a distance but I don't…. This tech doesn't have the same signature that Extremis taps in to. I don't know." He said, waving a hand. "It all gets fuzzy after Hawkeye and the cannon…"

Steve straightened, looking imploringly at the armor on the table to make itself clear.

Tony stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Party right?" He groaned as his back popped.

Cap affirmed and they headed toward the lab doors together.

"Night Hank." Steve called over his shoulder.

Tony stopped in his tracks.

"Hey Hank!" Pym raised his head slightly from his lab work. "Are we evil?"

Hank looked back down. "Not any more than last week."

Satisfied, Tony nodded and left the room. Cap followed slowly, pensively offering a backward glance at the scientist.

Hank didn't notice.

------------------------------------------

Hank sat the tablet computer he held in his hands down on the lab table in front of him. He wasn't necessarily jealous that he hadn't been invited to the party. Logically he understood why things had played out the way they had. The fact that Jan and he had already planned another date, _just an outing really_, had been reassuring.

He just wasn't sure how well he could keep this secret from her anymore. He'd come close to telling her when she'd guessed that what was upsetting him concerned Ultron. He could understand her hesitation to not being in the loop with anything that had to do with the AI.

Being _in_ the loop had its disadvantages though as well. If there was one thing that Hank hated it was a mystery. It was something he, Tony, Reed, and Beast shared.

He couldn't figure out how the Ultron code and Extremis virus were sustaining each other. There were too many variables to their interactions and Hank didn't want to find out that _either_ were interfering with the baby's development. If one started overpowering the other who knew what could happen. It was especially difficult to decipher as their interactions grew with each day the child grew. He wasn't exactly seeing fluctuations in their connections, but something had definitely changed since the incident at the oil refinery.

Well… if he knew one thing, it was chemical reactions within a biological system. He'd figure out how to stabilize things for Tony before anything even went wrong. It was the least he could do. Ultron had done a lot of things that Hank accepted as his fault, but it wasn't going to hurt Steve and Tony's child.

--------------------------------

Tony's tuxedo felt tight.

He eyed himself briefly in the mirror that sat in the corner of Steve's room.

It looked fine.

But it felt _off_. Tony twisted to the side to see his profile.

He knew it was because he was off.

He felt… _He had no idea what he felt like. What was a good adjective for being pregnant?_ He raised his arms above his head and looked down.

He couldn't suck in his stomach anymore. Nothing to the point that anyone would notice; it was just an internal feeling really, and luckily the cummerbund obscured exactly where Tony was beginning to show.

Nevertheless he wanted to tear the tux off and put the sweatpants he'd been sporting for the past couple of days back on.

_The things he did for Jan…_

"You always did clean up nicely." Cap said from the doorway of the bathroom. Tony turned to face him, arms quickly falling to his sides. Steve had just finished combing his hair in that "_slick to the side 50's_" kind of way that made Tony want to muss it up.

"Glad you approve."

"There's just one problem…" Cap said heavily, walking towards him. "That tux just makes me want to rip it off of you."

Tony felt the appropriate responses to all places on his body. He inhaled quickly.

"That's funny I was just thinking--"

Cap spun Tony in his arms, like their own personal waltz, before pressing his body tight against the other man's.

"Not fair." Tony complained. "You're such a good dancer and I'll be stuck with someone else…"

"Not for long." Steve replied, letting him go and grabbing a bowtie off his dark oak wood dresser. He positioned it around Tony's neck.

_It was too good to be true to get Steve Rogers distracted for long. _

"Why did I agree to this?" Tony asked, attempting to undo Steve's belt buckle, only to have his hand lightly swatted away.

"We're doing this because it is important to Jan and she is our friend." Steve stated finishing his work on Tony's bowtie. He paused to look at the other man. "But I want you to promise that if you start having any problems while we're there you'll tell me."

Tony smiled a half smile that was meant to placate. "Ok."

Steve nodded, content with that, and leaned forward for a light kiss before setting out on a search for Tony's jacket.

--------------

Carol stood outside Cap's door. She had been sent by Jan who was currently pacing on the ground floor near her limousine trying to hide the fact that she was about to have an embolism.

_They were twenty minutes late_.

Apparently Jan was a believer in being fashionably _early_, be the first to catch their eye and then keep them there the entire night. Considering her experiences in the air force Carol could appreciate the timeliness, but what she didn't appreciate was the fact that Jan, and Steve by the looks of it, were both completely fine with Tony going to a party, with alcohol, so soon after his relapse.

She had told Tony she'd be there, and that she'd do right by him, but it didn't help if other people he didn't want to let down could be so callous.

She knocked on the door and opened it.

"--promise that if you start having any problems while we're there you'll tell me." She heard Steve say to a Tony that quietly agreed. Steve kissed him and spun to look for something, his eyes caught hers.

"Carol."

"Jan's going to kill you. Both of you. You know she can grow as tall as Hank can right?"

Steve sighed, throwing Tony his coat. "Oh we're well aware."

Tony smiled at her and followed Steve as the blond rushed past her in the doorway. She caught his elbow. "You ok?" She whispered.

He looked tight in his skin.

"Right as rain." Tony winked at her before continuing after Cap.

Carol exhaled and leaned against the doorframe.

At least Steve was being marginally understanding; it was the rest of the Avengers she'd have to have a talk with.

-------------------------------------

Steve Rogers had been told that he was a wonderful dancer. He liked to dance. He loved the rhythm that could take him over and the partnership of it. He was great with his body and dancing seemed a perfect extension of what he was able to do.

The classical music was a bit slow for his tastes but it still had a rhythm to it, a heartbeat. His only real complaint was that he wished he was dancing with the man half way across the room instead of with one of Jan's protégé fashion interns.

They had arrived at the party only slightly later than Jan had hoped and had still impressed everyone with what was sure to be the next big trend in high fashion. Steve didn't quite understand all the layers and patterns but it looked pretty enough and everyone's head had turned. He was half way certain some of it had to do with the fact that these big parties were finally starting to take place again. After everything that had happened with the Skrull, normal life was returning. _That, and people liked things that sparkled. _

Tony had been perfect, as he always was at these sorts of things, and the CEO of Liamsburg Loft Fashion, Jacqueline Liamsburg, had been all over him. Steve had gotten this tight feeling in his chest, _which he refused to call jealousy_, until Tony had graciously turned the woman's attention to Jan's ensemble and the various women at the party wearing her line.

Steve was just happy that Tony was dancing with _Jan_ now and not Jacqueline _(with her hair as high as the ceiling and that annoying dog that wouldn't stop shaking)._ Steve shook his head slightly, leading his dancing partner closer to Tony and Jan, at as fast a pace as the music would allow.

He realized that he hadn't seen Tony flirting with another woman, or anyone, since he had come back; certainly not since they had been together. He knew that Jacqueline meant nothing to Tony, though everything but the look in Tony's eyes could have convinced him otherwise.

Steve wondered what Jan and Tony could be talking about, as he dodged around another couple trying to get closer. His date sighed and he looked down, having all but forgotten she was there.

"You ah a wonderful dan-say Captain Roget." She said happily, with a faint French accent.

"Uh- Thanks." He blushed, trying to remember her name.

--------------------------------

"I think Colette is smitten." Jan laughed, being spun again in Tony's arms. Tony looked over Jan's shoulder to Steve and his brightly red ears before smiling at her in return. "I hear he's taken." He replied.

"I hear that too."

Another spin on the dance room floor had Jan's dress sparkling against the chandelier high above them. She looked like a jewel shimmering in the sun.

"Thank you Tony for coming to this. You were perfect; she'll want to talk to me soon." Jan was now looking toward the fashion head waiting for invisible invitations even Tony couldn't see. "Jacqueline may be an absolute boar but I know what she can do with my line."

Tony laughed. "You mean boar as in the animal don't you?"

Jan smiled through her look of shock. "How could you tell?"

"Hazards of knowing someone for much too long."

Jan punched him softly in the shoulder, their steps still in time with the music.

"Speaking of knowing people much too long… do you have any idea what could be bothering Hank?"

Tony looked straight at her but didn't say a thing.

"He's been acting very stressed lately and is always in that lab. Which _ok_ admittedly isn't that unusual for him, but he usually _enjoys_ his time in the lab… unless something big is up."

Jan stopped dancing. "Is something big up?"

Tony grinned and twirled her around again, ending in a dip. "Everything is fine as far as I know." He let her stand. "But I'll keep an eye on him ok?"

"Yeah…" Jan answered distractedly. She was looking past him. Tony followed her gaze.

_Jacqueline._

Jan waved a hand at Tony. "If you'll excuse me I really must go. Be sure to share a dance with Captain Twinkle Toes over there." She pointed to Steve.

"Sure thing." Tony grinned, watching her leave. He stole a glance at Cap before walking past the other party guests and taking an empty seat at an empty table.

-------------------

Tony's eyes followed Steve around the dance floor.

His mind held nothing sad or terrible.

It was a wonder, just watching him move, feeling content and comforted somehow. Knowing that those arms, that heart, they somehow belonged to him now.

_So this is love. _

And he'd been looking for it for so long too…

Tony sighed, settling into an easy smile.

He didn't even notice the young woman walking up to him.

"Careful handsome or the blond there is going to get _really jealous_ if he catches you looking at his date like that."

Tony turned his head, an eyebrow raised.

"Mary Jane." He smiled sheepishly. "Was it that obvious?"

The red head nodded impishly through her eyelashes and set her glass down on the table. "It's like you're glowing." She admitted. "So what do you think?" She asked, moving back so he could see her dress more clearly. It was a soft green that brought out her eyes.

"Jan roped you into this shindig too huh?"

She beamed back at him.

"You look beautiful." He said as she took a seat. "So does that mean Peter's around here somewhere?"

MJ nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "You bet! He's over by the Bulgarian super models…" She pointed with her glass in hand. "I don't think they understand that his camera is for a newspaper and not a photo shoot." Tony looked where she had motioned to find Peter trying to outmaneuver three large buff men in skin tight outfits.

"Huh, I think I know one of them." He said, squinting to pretend and see.

MJ stared at him for a second before pushing him with her elbow. "Do not."

Tony smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh!" Mary Jane suddenly exclaimed. "I'll see you later." She stated merrily, setting her glass down and excusing herself quickly. Tony followed her trajectory.

MJ trotted sweetly over to Jan who was still talking to that horrid woman.

_Another invisible invitation._

Tony smiled again, almost amused by how "secret ops" all of this seemed.

His eyes paused on the glass Mary Jane had left behind. A slight scowl developed on his face. He moved his eyes quickly, but the feeling stayed behind in his mind.

It was normal, this feeling… well not _normal_, but usual for him. The craving.

The thoughts that had nearly destroyed him at one point, and still gave him a few sleepless nights…

He looked at the champagne in everyone's hands, then back at the glass just sitting there.

This wasn't a bad craving by any means. He wasn't on the verge and he wasn't in a panic. He ignored a thousand thoughts that were identical to this one _easily_. But the notion that had been tugging at him for nearly six weeks shoved its way to the forefront of his brain.

_You can't mess up ever again. _

Tony put a hand on his stomach.

With the conversation he'd had with Carol he knew she had been right. You never truly were out of the woods.

_So he would just keep that in mind. Keep that in mind and move forward. _

He had to be stronger, had to _feel stronger_, for the baby; for who that person was going to grow up to be. He wouldn't let them down. He couldn't.

His father's voice suddenly drowned out all other thoughts in his brain.

…_weak_.

He tried to ignore how the words the old man spoke rang true.

_Where had that come from?_

Tony closed his eyes for a second before getting up slowly and walking toward the bathroom.

-----------------------

Steve thought he'd seen the back of Tony's head duck around the corner near the kitchen. Once he'd finally been able to excuse himself from his willowy date, he followed in pursuit to find but two options.

He was spending more time with Tony Stark these days _in_ bathrooms than out…

Cap pushed open the men's room door.

He found his lover splashing water on his face.

"Tony."

Tony looked up from his position leaning over the sink and spotted Steve's reflection in the mirror. "Hey."

"Are you feeling ok?" Cap asked, looking around at the other stalls. They were alone.

"I'll be fine." Tony said, drying his hands on a towel.

"You don't think we should go?"

"No. No I'm ok." His voice sounded tense.

"Jan would understand." Cap said quietly.

"I know she would. But I can do this." Tony spun to face the real Cap. "I'm fine. We're both fine." He countered, with a hand on his stomach. He offered Steve a smile.

"What happened?"

"Just a thought, happens." Tony shrugged. "I'm done with it."

Steve moved closer and brushed the hair from Tony's face, it slicked back from water residue.

"All these thoughts of being a father I guess." Tony shook his head. "I just still can't believe it."

Steve widened his stance in front of Tony. "I can. I mean I had never thought that this was going to happen, but it doesn't mean I never dreamt about the possibility."

"Ultron turning me into a girl?"

"Having a family with you." Steve smiled. "The Avengers are already my family, but me and you; we've always been something special."

----

Tony felt it again. That perfect combination of comfort and contentment. He raised his hand to Cap's face, his fingertips stopping right before they brushed his cheek.

He may never truly be out of the woods, but at least he could see the stars in the sky.

"So what do you want to do at this thing? I'm pretty sure Jan is going to ignore us for the rest of the night." Tony said softly, as Steve took his hand.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We could try to go save Peter." Tony offered, as Steve brought his hand to his lips.

"Hmm?" The blond paused.

"Uh, it's nothing I'm sure he'll be fine." Tony smiled.

Steve met Tony's gaze. "Hungry?"

Tony thought about that for a second. He wasn't sure if there had been a time in the past week and a half where he _hadn't _been hungry. "I guess maybe." He stated cautiously.

"Uh-huh," Steve replied knowingly, hiding a smirk. "Well you know what? There's something they put into parties I think you'll like. They call it a buffet."

Tony faked astonishment.

"I don't think I've ever heard of that. Is it French?"

----------------------------------------

"That's why I invited Steve and Tony along in the first place. It's healthy for any relationship and they of all people should never have to hide who they are. It's only proper to have them out and about together. And they take forever to get anywhere when it's left up to the two of them. I don't even think they've been on a _date_ since they started this whole thing!" Jan gesticulated to MJ. They were both standing to the left of the dance floor, near the front entrance of the ballroom.

"I agree completely. Especially since Tony's been a bit reclusive lately. It was good to get him out of his garage." Mary Jane responded.

"Well if it weren't for me I doubt Hank would _ever_ leave his lab." Jan smiled, waiting for the return of Jacqueline. _Her precious poodle just had to pee and couldn't stand being separated from mommy._

"How _are_ things with Hank?" MJ queried, mischief on her face.

"Speaking of men!" Jan said a bit too loudly. "I've seriously been considering adopting a men's line. Peter needs better suits. He shouldn't have to be wearing the scraps of a second rate competitor." Janet laughed, placing her hand on MJ's arm.

"He got it from J.C. Penney's."

"Oh." Jan's face fell. "Well it's a shame really. He has such a slim, taut body…"

MJ laughed. "Why Jan! Are you lusting after my _husband_?"

"And his ass is great isn't it? Not to mention his flexibility." Jan made a face which had Mary Jane laughing again. "I think I'm serious about this. I could design wonders for that boy, and _you_ can keep all of your dresses."

"Really?"

Jan grinned.

"So, do we have a deal Ms. Watson? You get my services and I get your husband's on occasion?" Jan lifted out her arm to shake hands. MJ put her hand in Jan's, a look of pure amusement still on her face.

"Why Ms. Van Dyne, you make it sound so naughty."

----

"Hey, don't I get some say in this?" Peter said interrupting the two for the first time since he had headed over to them. "It is Watson-_Parker_. There's a hyphen in there ya know." He slipped his arm around Mary Jane's waist.

"Absolutely not. Face it Tiger, you're trapped." MJ looked to Jan briefly.

"Like a fly in a spider's web, dear." Jan affirmed.

"I thought I was supposed to be the spider." he said moodily.

Suddenly Jan's face tightened. Peter honestly wondered why his spider-sense hadn't gone off with her looking that way.

"The Boar is back." Jan whispered through a fake smile.

"Oh!" Mary Jane responded, grabbing hold of Peter to stop him as he began to turn around and look. "Honey could you do me a favor and make yourself scarce? If she sees you and that camera for the paper, she'll forget all about wanting to talk to Jan."

"Uh," Peter looked around the room for a place to hide. He spotted Steve and Tony over by the buffet table. "No problemo."

He made a daring escape.

-------------------

"How did we get to this point?" Tony raised the glass in his hand and followed Steve back to the table they had commandeered.

"You were having trouble deciding on what to eat so I helped you."

"By grabbing… everything." Tony stated bemused. He sat down next to the blonde. "_How thoughtful_."

"You never know what's going to taste the best if you don't try everything."

"So you're using logic." Tony affirmed, his face holding a nervous expression.

"I'm strategizing in an orderly and effective manner, yes." Steve replied stoically, his own glass in hand.

"Alright that's fine then. But how did we get to the point of drinking milk?"

"What else would we dunk Oreo cookies in?"

Tony's shoulders dropped. "You didn't find Oreos at this party."

"I found chocolate cake…"

Tony shot him a look.

"What? It's close… You were the one thinking about fatherly things. And, I mean, you teach your child through your own experiences right? So--"

"And that equals us dunking dessert in milk."

"You never thought about doing that with your son? How are you supposed to enjoy it with them if you've never enjoyed it yourself? I think about things like that sometimes." Steve's rich blue eyes shone brightly.

Tony smiled shyly, and then almost looked upset about something. "There was a time. But those thoughts never came back until now." He looked down at himself.

Steve eyed him for a second. Then he replied, "Well. Mine always includes Oreo cookies and milk."

"And here I would've thought Apple Pie." Tony picked up his glass of milk and eyed it suspiciously. "Something's missing."

Steve visibly tensed, ready to jump up and retrieve whatever the other man might need. "What?"

"Caffeine." Tony stated sadly, showing Cap the inside of his cup. The blond relaxed.

"Coffee withdrawals?" Steve put his hand on Tony's neck, squeezing gently.

"Milk's decidedly useless without it." Tony tilted his head slightly to the massage. He closed his eyes.

"Just wait till you've got breasts and are making it yourself. Maybe you'll feel differently."

Tony leaned away from him. "That's not how it works and you know it."

Steve shrugged, taking a bite of chocolate cake. "Got your mind off Cappuccinos."

"That you did." Tony replied, a bit sullen. He raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to have to buy an entirely new wardrobe."

"Hey you're right." Steve replied, now trying to discreetly fix the runaway hair on Tony's head. "That's what happens to women right?"

"That's what happens." Tony agreed. "I guess being at a fashion party will make you think about those sorts of things." He looked nervous.

Cap leaned against the table. "Everything's going to be ok." He said soothingly.

Tony eyed the chandelier above the dance floor. He looked back over at Cap.

"I only ever believe those words when they come out of your mouth."

Steve smiled.

--------------------------

Peter hadn't been eavesdropping. That wasn't what this was about. He had been at the buffet, acting mysterious and manly and sort of totally hiding from a lady holding a poodle for reasons he didn't completely understand. _He was certain lives were being saved. _

He'd seen that Steve and Tony had landed a table and was about to walk over when he noticed something. They were both dunking pastries into milk.

Captain America and Iron Man, founding members of the Avengers, two people who were able to make mobsters pee their pants, _were dunking pastries into milk_.

And so, naturally, as anyone else would have done in the exact same situation…

Peter had tried to take their picture.

And as funny as it sounds, the perfect picture taking distance just so happened to be the perfect distance to drop eaves.

He had heard things about breasts and women's clothing and… and he didn't quite know how to process it all.

_It wasn't his fault he was stealthy._

So here he was, back on the Avenger's floor of Stark Tower in his room with MJ, knowing that he should go to sleep, but realizing that this one wouldn't leave him alone until he talked it out.

"Would you still love me if I wanted to be a woman?"

There was a pause before Mary Jane sat up and turned on the light. "Did you wanna run that one by me one more time?"

Peter looked at his hands. "I just… I'm worried about Tony."

MJ looked up at him. "You think Tony wants to be a woman… What happened to your '_extremis is acting up'_ hypothesis? Remember how we had that talk about if it's between two people being twins and two people being clones we were gonna go with _they're probably twins_?"

"No, I know what it sounds like MJ but you didn't hear the conversation I did. Tony's always cared a lot about his appearance and the whole thing with Ultron might have opened up a bunch of things for him that he'd tried to seal away."

"Ok Peter." MJ sighed. "If we're actually going to have this conversation you need to come down off of the ceiling." She said, pointing to the bed.

"Right…" Pete acknowledged, crawling from his position above her on the ceiling to go and sit by her on the mattress.

"I mean, what if it was something he secretly wanted and to get it in an evil way and have it taken away like that and it was only a month later that he started flipping out--"

"You're serious." MJ moved to touch him on the shoulder. Peter looked back at her.

"I think I'm serious... It kind of makes sense in my head, but I'm wrong a lot of the time. I kinda feel like I only have half of the story." Peter scratched the top of his head. "But if I'm right I really think that we should be supportive. Tony's been acting different, like he does when he knows he's going to have to tell us something big soon, and--"

"And you want to show him he has your support when he does."

Peter turned around to face her.

"Exactly!" He brightened. "So, how would we show it?" He asked.

----------------

"Maybe you should just get him a gift?" Mary Jane suggested,_ still not entirely certain her husband was correct in his ponderings. _If worse came to worse, hopefully the entire thing would at least make Tony laugh.

Peter shrugged slightly. "I guess that might work. He did say he'd have to buy an entirely new wardrobe."

"He did?" MJ asked, a bit astonished.

"Thanks Mary Jane." Peter said, kissing her on the check and positioning himself underneath the covers.

"Yeah no problem." She replied stiffly. "Peter?" She said curiously.

"Hmm?"

"What exactly did you hear?"

----------------------------

Despite the high grade illumination pervading the area, Hank Pym was sound asleep. Jan let the soft slide of the automatic doors open before removing both of her high heel shoes and stepping soundlessly into the lab.

She was worried about him. She had decided to at least see how he was doing after she dropped Steve and Tony off from the party. It was close to three in the morning and he was still down here obviously exhausted.

Jan took a look at the man, his blond hair covering his eyes. She resisted the urge to run her fingers across his cheek.

She hadn't meant to be cross with him lately, but she knew that look in his eye. The pain and the guilt Hank had for whenever anything related to Ultron surfaced was easy to interpret. She had been afraid that something bad was happening to Tony because of what had occurred more than three months ago, but he seemed to be coming out of whatever had affected him so negatively. And tonight had seemed just like old times.

She took a look around the lab. Everything that had been salvaged from Hank's insect and biochemical communication experiments ran along the back wall. The armor Tony was studying for SHIELD was on a lab table to Hank's left. Random print outs and electronic data pads were scattered across the desk Hank was currently resting his head upon.

Jan let a small smile come to her lips. She again fought the urge to touch him.

But it would do no good for him to be down here when a nice soft bed waited for him up on the Avenger's floor.

Jan began to collect the readouts randomly strewn about. _Maybe the noise would wake him up._

Everything had gone so wonderfully at the party. Despite her tiredness she really wanted to talk to Hank about it all. She supposed they could just talk on their lunch date set for later that week but—

Jan's eye caught the text on the paperwork she was straightening.

She did a double-take, reading further.

Her breath caught in her chest.

"Oh."

_Really?_

-------------------


	10. Chapter 4b That's Just Fantastic

Tony Stark cradled the phone by his ear. His neck was bent to keep it there and he was having fleeting notions about making a monitor that tilted sideways so he could read the text that was scrolling down his office computer screen a little easier.

He smiled.

"Steve, I know you're upstairs. You could come down here and we could talk just as well. Better even." Tony offered, opening another file on his desktop.

"I don't want to smother you. I'm not hovering." Was the other man's response.

Tony's smile widened. "I meant '_hovering_' as a term of endearment. If I'd known it'd be reason enough for a self inflicted restraining order I'd have used different terminology."

"I'm just glad you're back at work. Everything seems to be settling down. Even the Illanians and the Skrull have been quiet lately."

Tony's eyes ran along the text he was reading. "Why did you have to say that? Didn't Peter teach you the rules? _He taught me the rules_. It's the same as saying 'I'll be right back.' or 'What's the worst that could happen?' It's asking for trouble."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tony could imagine Steve shaking his head.

"Sure… It has been forgiving lately though. We'll have to take full advantage." Tony started typing on his keyboard.

"And we're fresh out of science conventions." Steve replied in a sarcastic tone.

"For once I wasn't thinking about science. Though last Sunday was amazing. Thank you again for that."

"I would say _anytime_ but that place scared me."

"Graviton arrays and particle accelerators aren't scary. They're breath-taking." Tony said, pausing from his work and swiveling his chair left and right.

"Fusion. Fission. It's all the same to me."

"Remind me not to let you near Hank's lab again." Tony pointed out, moving the phone to his other ear. "Though I don't understand why you had to yell at that one Professor."

Cap grunted before answering. "He was smoking."

"A pipe. It was very distinguished."

"In front of you and the baby." Cap continued.

"I think you made him cry."

"I have no real problem with that."

Tony smirked. "So does that mean when Logan finally comes back from his trip, he can't stay in the Tower anymore?"

"That's correct." Steve replied instantly.

"I'm sure that'll go over well." Tony moved back to his computer and opened another data file.

"So what were you thinking about if not science?" Cap asked, his tone of voice making clear what _he_ was thinking about.

"And for once I wasn't thinking about _that_ either."

"No?"

Tony paused in his work again. "I was thinking about telling everyone. Everything."

"Really?" Cap asked, the excitement in his voice evident. Tony knew Steve had only been waiting for him to be ready. Tony wasn't sure if that day would ever actually come, but he'd have to tell them all eventually so…

"No time like the present, considering I can't button half my jeans. And maybe it'll keep Hank from having a stroke… and you from hovering."

"I don't hover. I protect things." Steve stated defensively.

"Right, and you don't sulk you just brood _emphatically_."

"You're lucky I find your banter endearing."

"Someone has to."

A red light activated near Tony's intercom system signifying his next appointment had arrived.

"Hmm, gotta go. Meeting time." Tony informed Steve.

"Okay. Don't forget we're going over to the HUB in an hour." Tony could almost hear the panic rising in Steve's voice as the blond wouldn't be in direct contact with him for that long.

"Yeah. No problem. Especially since it's _Reed_. I doubt he knows what day it is, let alone when he has appointments." Tony admonished.

"Take care of yourself!" Was his fiancé's response.

"Bye Steve." Tony hung up the phone.

His next engagement opened the door without waiting to be formally announced. The man looked him over and then eyed him scornfully. "You makin' every day casual Friday now?" He asked.

Tony looked down at the clothes he was wearing. Oversized t-shirts and sweatpants rarely did wonders for bettering suave sharp executive fashion.

He looked back up at the man in his doorway. "Glad you could get over here on such short notice."

James Rhodes pursed his lips.

"What short notice? You told me yesterday. That's like the longest warning of anything you've given me in years. Remember when Mrs. A called me in a panic to fill in for you at the board of director's meeting?" Rhodey asked, a certain acidic tone to his voice.

"That was three weeks ago." Tony replied.

"Yeah, well the scorch marks in my best suit aren't making _themselves_ go away." He crossed his arms from his stance against the doorframe.

"Scorch marks, Rhodey?" Tony leaned back in his chair.

"Hey, I had to make it here from L.A. and I don't know anything faster then the armor."

"Your _best suit_ Rhodey?" Tony raised a hand to his chin.

"My _only_ suit."

Tony rocked forward in his chair, unable to hide his smile any longer. "Will you sit the hell down? People are going to start taking you seriously." Rhodey smiled back and took a seat in Stark's office, closing the door behind him.

"They _should_ be taking me seriously! And you too." Rhodey grabbed a PDA off of a large stack of papers on Tony's desk. "You plannin' on another vacation Chief? And just when I'd thought I'd escaped this executive soul-sucking crap."

Tony all but rolled his eyes. "It was not a vacation. It was complicated." He moved his hands to his desk, interlacing his fingers. "And I really appreciate you coming to help me out like you did."

"All you gotta do is ask." The other man replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, so I have to ask again."

Rhodey stopped going through the PDA and met Tony's eye. "Everything alright with you? We never got a chance to really talk before I went back to Los Angeles."

"Hm, that was my fault. But I'm good. I've just been going over my calendar and I need you to fill in for a few things."

Rhodey narrowed his gaze. "Like what?"

Tony looked to the file on his desk. "Namely armor field tests for the military, and training runs for SHIELD. Plus I'm going to need you to drive in the Monticello Motor Club charity race for me this year. I was going to just donate the money but it would look better if I at least got a replacement. And--"

"Where are you gonna be?" Rhodey interrupted him.

Tony looked up from the events he had highlighted.

"I'll be here. Making sure Stark Industries doesn't go the way of Stark-Fujikawa… or SWORD."

Rhodey just looked at him. The sting of knowing Tony was keeping something big from him was beginning to show clearly on his face.

"You wanna tell me something so just tell me. You could've asked me for all of this over the phone. But you wanted me here." Rhodey settled forward in his chair. "I'm here."

Tony grinned. It looked more like a grimace. Then he chuckled softly.

"And here I thought I could stall for at least ten more minutes." He shook his head. "You're never going to believe me."

Rhodes sat back in his chair. "Last time you said that to me, a _technological internet anomaly_ had high-jacked your brain and got you drunk while hitting on interns. Come on Tony!" Rhodey smiled, leaning forward once again, resting his elbows on his knees. "I know the crazy life you lead! Time travel, alternate dimensions, magic rings--"

"I'm pregnant."

Jim paused, his hands still out in front of him.

"And I really didn't see that one coming…" Rhodey said after a while, fixed in his movements.

"Me neither." Tony acknowledged.

The man rested his chin on his hand, his fingers covering his mouth. He sighed. Tony took it as a good sign that he hadn't jumped out of the window by now.

"How did _that_ happen exactly?" Jim asked finally, giving Tony another glance-over.

Tony ran things over in his mind, trying to come up with the best way to explain it to his friend.

"Remember when Ultron hacked into Extremis and--?"

"Oh yeah." Rhodey laughed in what was almost decisively a cackle. Suddenly a look of horror came to his eyes. "Damn, she didn't do it with anyone while in your body, did she?"

Tony immediately shook his head. "No!" He replied, though the thought of that happening had never even been entertained as a possibility. "It's more leftover… kind of."

"Oh okay." Rhodey paused. "What?"

"Never mind." Tony stated quickly.

"Is this why you needed a vacation?"

"It wasn't a--" Tony sighed. "That was… complicated. Apparently Extremis was afraid I'd reject the baby and was keeping it hidden from me. There was an error loop-- _Whatever_… Apparently, I had an issue with being pregnant." Tony held his breath apprehensively, though the panic over telling Rhodey had somewhat subsided.

"Yeah well… men don't usually do that sort of thing."

"Not usually." Tony agreed, looking up at Rhodey. He was still eyeing him in an odd way.

"You're taking this a lot better then I did." Tony had to admit. "And Cap for that matter."

"_Cap_ huh?"

Tony felt a wave of annoyance shoot through him. "Don't do that. Seriously?"

"No it's fine Chief. You can do whatever you want." Rhodes looked away.

"Rhodey…" But Tony knew there wouldn't be much changing Rhodey's stance on Cap at the moment. They had always gotten along in the past but Rhodey was convinced that a lot of the things that had occurred during the Civil War, and its subsequent ramifications on the Skrull Invasion, would have never happened if Cap had been open to seeing both sides of the issue. Of course hind sight was 20/20 but Rhodey vented that it went all the way back to the _armor wars_ they had fought together.

The only thing _Tony_ knew was that Cap and Jim were both equally stubborn.

"He only thinks about his side of things, and he always thinks he's right." Rhodey stated quietly, as though to himself.

"Are you talking about me or Steve?"

"You weren't—I'm not defending you to yourself Tony." Rhodes shot him look.

"I wouldn't ask you to. I just want you to be okay with who--"

"Who you're sleeping with? It's none of my business."

"Who I'm going to marry." Tony finished.

Rhodey's face withdrew in surprise. "What the hell is this? Give Rhodes a heart attack day?"

"I hope not. Those are never fun." Tony joked, a serious expression on his face.

Rhodey's face was in his hands. "Wow, okay, I might need a minute."

"I could just email you the list of things?" Tony suggested sardonically, lifting the events planner for Rhodey to see, waving his hand like it was no big deal.

"Sounds good." Rhodey replied breathlessly. He didn't look up.

Tony gave the other man a minute to process things. Maybe saying everything all at once hadn't been the best of ideas, but it had seemed important to do. There had been plenty of other secrets Tony had wished he'd told Rhodey before they had blown up in his face. Rhodey was an honorable man who honestly cared for him. It wasn't something Tony necessarily understood but he was grateful for it. Tony knew he didn't give himself as much as he should to his friends. And if anything, _Steve_ had taught him that if he allowed himself to open up, not everyone was going to spit in his face, call him weak and leave him behind. Tony felt he should give as good a man as James Rhodes the same benefit of the doubt.

Rhodey looked up at him and finally shrugged his shoulders. "Well, congratulations man. That's… crazy."

_And it really was._

"So you get why you have to handle the drag racing and commando missions for a while?"

Rhodey closed his eyes for a second, now fully aware of why Tony Stark would not be in the armor.

"Yeah." Then his own shock gave way to a softness that Tony rarely saw in his friend.

"Anything you need Tony. The offer always stands." Then Rhodey's face grew animated. "What did Pepper say?"

Tony looked away apprehensively. "I haven't told her." He admitted. "I mean she knows about Cap and getting married and was more then a little pissed that you two are _sharing_ the role of best man but--"

Rhodey wore a big grin on his face. "Best _man_ huh?"

"I haven't told her about the baby." Tony finished. "It's... a difficult topic with her. You're the first person I've told other than Steve. The first person I've told other than Steve, _intentionally_." He corrected.

Rhodey caught on quickly. "So that'll be a fun Avengers meeting."

"I was thinking about leaving a note." Tony admitted, grimacing slightly and bringing a finger up to rub absently at his temple.

Rhodey shook his head. "Damn, how do you feel man?"

"Like a seahorse." Tony stated irreverently.

Rhodey laughed. "That's a fair assessment… But you said this was caused by Ultron?"

"Oh, that." _No one ever let that part slide…_

Tony leaned his elbows on his desk and rested his head upon his hands. "Hence weekly visits by the brain trust. Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and the Beast all here to make sure we don't go evil."

"That's a possibility?" Rhodey looked mildly concerned.

"All signs _mostly_ point to no. It's more an exploration of something "fascinating" and "unprecedented"." Tony said with air quotes. "Plus how could a baby with Steve Rogers' genetic make-up possibly go evil?"

"Yeah cuz the man is rainbows personified." Rhodey stated dryly.

"Aww, don't be jealous kitten." Tony winked.

Rhodey glared at him, then his features mellowed.

"In all seriousness Tony, you alright?"

Tony Stark was surprised to find himself smiling.

"Yeah, yeah I am. This is all at once and it's _scary_ but like you said I live a crazy life… And I'm going to be okay." Tony paused. "I am." Tony tilted his head in thought at what that statement truly meant to him. "He makes me happy and this baby… makes me happy."

Rhodey nodded slowly. "I guess there's nothin' else you can really ask for."

Tony soaked that knowledge in, wanting to accept it wholeheartedly. His chest felt a little lighter.

Then he grinned.

"Except for pants that fit." Tony countered, picking up a pen from his desk and twirling it in his fingers.

James Rhodes sat back in his chair. His face looked like his brain had finally caught up with reality. "So, how _pregnant_ are you?" The word had quotations around it.

"All the way." Tony replied snidely.

Rhodey didn't look amused. "You know what I mean."

Tony's hand fell to his stomach, he looked down. "Guesstimation puts it at 14… 15 weeks."

The room was silent and then, "Take it off."

"Excuse me?" Tony looked over at Rhodey in surprise.

"Tony Stark tells me he's pregnant and he doesn't expect me to want to see? Take off your shirt."

Tony's eyes settled into a glower. "We have sexual harassment seminars that I _know_ I've sent you to."

Rhodey folded his arms. "You used to strip in front of me all the time."

"Yeah," Tony exclaimed. "In an attempt to get you to take _your_ shirt off."

"Oh… trust me… I know. After five years of you doing that I figured it out."

Tony laughed, searching the other man's dark brown eyes pensively. Finally he stood by his desk. He looked down at the old MIT shirt that had been given to him in a gift basket at a ten year reunion. He'd never worn it before last week. "Alright." He said, lifting his shirt hesitantly. "What do I look like?"

Rhodey eyed him for a second. "You look like Tony. But more..." Rhodey made a hand motion that caused Tony to raise an eyebrow. "More convex." Rhodey finally opted to say.

"Did you just say I have a baby bump?"

Rhodey's face went blank. "I'm not touching that one… but you don't look pregnant."

Tony smoothed his shirt out and sat back down. "Sorry to disappoint. Come back in a couple of months."

Rhodey managed to grin. "Tony… This is big." He looked over at his friend. "So, thank you… for trusting me with this."

Tony rung his fingers through his hair. He fought to get the guilty look off his face.

"I trust you Rhodey. I've always trusted you; I'm just no good at showing it." He shook his head. "But I'm working on things. _Steve really helps_." Tony stated, before he realized he'd said it out loud.

To his credit, Jim only nodded. "Okay." Rhodey allowed. "I guess if he got you to stop hitting on me he can't be that bad."

"That's the spirit." Tony said, smiling again.

------------------------------

"Reed, what's going on with the Avengers?" Sue Richards stood sternly, blocking her husband's path. "I know you were called up by Steve a while back for Tony, but now he's going to see you at work?"

Reed felt a certain hesitation build up inside his chest. He avoided her gaze as he realized she wasn't going to move until he told her the situation. _Well, if he really wanted to he could easily stretch past her, but the problem with that was that she knew where he slept._

"Sue, it's more fascinating than anything. You know how it is for me to be working on all of this Skrull-tech for SHIELD. This thing with the Avengers is a… _unique distraction_ from all of that."

Her leer lasted only a fraction of a second longer, and then Sue smiled at him; _she was easily the most beautiful woman in the world_.

"As long as everyone is ok?" She asked.

Reed nodded.

"Great! Well, since you're going in to work on an easy day you have no excuse for not taking the kids with you." Reed opened his mouth to protest.

"I told you," Sue continued, putting a finger to his lips. "in case you don't remember, I have plans, and Ben is with Alicia and Johnny is at the studio. And you already said yes." Sue kissed him before turning around and literally disappearing.

She hadn't even waited for an answer... and she had switched keys with him during their kiss!

_Beautiful and cunning. _

Reed eyed the keys to Sue's car. The car that had the child seat in it…

"I guess, I should get the kids ready." He said, a look of astonishment still on his face. "Tony and Steve shouldn't mind... it'll be good practice." Reed continued, talking mostly to himself, and partly to Franklin's goldfish located on the table near his bedroom. He moved around in their moderately sized temporary apartment, squeezing past unpacked boxes and went to wake Valeria up from her nap.

-------------------------

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark walked into the main lobby of the Baxter Building's temporary replacement, also known as the HUB. They were right on time despite the traffic they'd encountered and the _slightly_ wrong direction Tony had gotten their car into.

Reed's new workplace hadn't been exactly where they thought it would be. Steve had suggested they stop to ask for directions. Tony had responded with _Happy would've been able to find it_. Steve had left it at that.

As long as Tony was driving safely, Cap didn't contend with the fact that there had been a silent agreement that Tony Stark would never again hire another driver.

While Tony went to speak with the woman at reception, Steve eyed the building. It was white metal and clear glass. Perfectly up to code with unoriginal technological chic.

"Reed's not here yet." Tony said, returning to Cap's side. "Do you wanna check out the magazines in the non-existent waiting room?"

"Uh, ok?"

Steve followed Tony to the far end of the main reception area. They both decided to lean against the wall.

Steve looked to his surroundings. There was nothing _living_ inside of this place. No trees or shrubs, not even a fish tank… just the people, who looked half dead themselves.

He didn't like it here, and with the way his lover was eyeing the lights above them Steve could tell Tony didn't like it either. It was a place of _hard science_, technological advances with none of the care and love and desperate joy for exploration Tony placed in to every single one of his inventions. This was a place where people were forced to produce advancements instead of being able to swim ashore with treasures they had found.

Cap hoped Reed was doing okay.

"Thanks for coming with me." Tony stated softly, folding his arms across himself.

Steve turned to face him. "Of course I came Tony. I'm coming to every one I can!" He answered truthfully.

He'd been to two by Hank and one by Beast thus far.

It mostly consisted of him sitting next to Tony in a lab not comprehending monitors that were full of what Tony insisted _wasn't_ binary code but Steve still figured probably was, while Tony worked on something SHIELD had assigned him.

_Well, except for the Beast appointment… that had consisted of much more hugging then Steve was comfortable with and assertions by Beast that Tony at least play cards with Cap while Henry completed the scans. _

"I know. It's just something I had to say." Tony responded.

Cap rubbed the back of his neck before placing an arm around Tony's shoulders.

"Alright then, for what it's worth, you're welcome."

"I told Rhodey." Tony admitted quietly.

Cap tightened his grip on the other man. "How'd it go?"

"It went well. Great actually."

Steve sighed, relieved. "See, I told you."

"That you did."

"I told Sam." Steve offered in return. "He's really excited for us. Redwing might have suffered a nervous break down but… _Sam's_ really excited."

Tony's face softened. He smiled faintly. "I'm afraid to tell the Avengers… and everyone else."

Steve studied his lover's expression, trying to understand. "Because it makes this all real?"

Tony shook his head. "I know it's real, but it's… if I can keep it a secret I can protect it better. If it's a secret, nothing can hurt it." He whispered.

"I've been told I have trust issues." Tony laughed. He sounded exhausted.

Cap's thumb smoothed across the fabric of Tony's shirt. His mind fell back to when Tony had held on so desperately to his secret identity. It had recently become a theory of Steve's that Tony hadn't wanted to keep his _identity_ a secret in so much as he didn't want people to realize that behind the superheroic persona of Iron Man, a flawed man stood trying to distance himself from his mistakes.

Tony might act as though he had _trust issues_, but Cap had never truly believed it. The man had been taught to hide his problems, and that had somehow been interpreted in Tony's mind that he should hide _himself _to protect those around him. _Or even worse things would happen. _

"You won't hurt the baby Tony. And no one is going to think you will." Steve replied gently.

His fiancé's breath staggered. It wasn't quite a sob. Tony looked up at Cap through tired steel blue eyes. "You're not allowed to understand me like that."

"Sorry." Cap responded. He wasn't sorry. "We're not in a rush to tell anyone." He smiled. "Don't think you have to until you're ready. I'm just glad you told _me_." Cap pulled him closer.

"I'm glad you're glad." Tony said finally, leaning further into Steve's embrace. Then he straightened suddenly, composing himself. "Reed's here." Tony said. Then he tilted his head. "Oh look… he brought the children."

-------------------------------------

Reed Richards would never again complain to Sue about the amount of time it took to get everything prepared to travel with their children. There were so many things in his hands that it looked like he was taking a week long trip rather then a one day work walk-in with the Avengers. Reed shifted his hold on Valeria as the security doorman to the HUB deftly avoided getting hit with a bag full of toys.

He walked up to the main desk in reception. Franklin strolled in after a minute, waving at the man who had opened the door for him.

"Do you need your lab space today Dr. Richards?" The auburn-haired associate asked him as he neared.

"Yes and--"

"Uncle Tony!" Reed heard his son shout out as the boy ran over to the far end of the lobby.

"Unca Tooney!" Valeria mimicked from Reed's arms.

"And guests." Reed finished as Franklin returned to his side with Steve and Tony in tow. He placed Valeria on the ground, as she was squirming in his arms, and she toddled over to the two men and her brother.

Tony dispensed a hug and Steve stooped down as well.

"Sue had plans and the others were busy. I forgot." Reed took the guest badges the receptionist handed him and passed one over to Tony, and stretched his arm longer to hand one down to Steve, who was still crouched on the ground. "Is it three already?"

"Close enough." Tony answered. "Whada'ya say we get this over with and then go and do something fun." Tony said spinning to wink at Franklin and Valeria.

Franklin smiled back. Valeria was examining Steve's chin.

Tony smiled. "Actually, Steve, would you mind--" Tony motioned to the two children. "Just so Reed can do all this faster?"

"Oh! Yes, would you mind?" Reed agreed, not taking his eyes from Tony Stark.

----

"Of course not." Steve replied, looking around at the various things Reed had brought with him. He eyed Tony pensively.

Tony grinned in return. "I'm fine. And I promise we'll fill you in when we're done. Just like always."

"Ok." Cap responded, seemingly satisfied with that response. He faced Reed. "Can we go to the park?"

Reed Richards had already started scanning Tony with some remote device. It was currently whirring and shining yellow lights at Tony's neck. "Hey Reed?" Tony said with dry amusement. "Can your kids leave the building?"

The scientist looked up from his device. He glanced at Tony for a second before looking over at Steve. "Certainly." He finally retorted.

"Great!" Cap replied.

"Great." Tony mimicked. "Did you want to do this in your… lab? _Reed_?" Tony asked irreverently, looking at the people in the lobby. No one seemed to notice Dr. Richard's antics.

"Lab. Sure." Reed acknowledged. "Have a great time kids." He said before leading the way.

Tony caught Steve's eye and smiled before following Mr. Fantastic and his brain.

Steve, with a put upon expression, turned back to the children.

"So, Franklin. Do you play catch?" He asked, scooping Valeria into his arms.

"Sure. Dad and I made this great interface for it!" Franklin replied with a smile.

"Cats!" Valeria added, twiddling Steve's ears with her fingers.

"Then we are off to play it, _properly." _Steve stated heroically, grabbing as much as of their things as he could with his other arm and heading toward the front door.

---------------------------------------------------

Tony followed Reed past security into the depths of the building called HUB.

It seemed to take forever for them to get to Richards' section of the building. Four safety check-points later, Tony finally looked around Mr. Fantastic's new lab. It was extremely different from his own garage, but that had always been the case. In Tony's workspace everything had form and foreseeable function. Not so with Reed's creations. Tony couldn't exactly decipher what precise or theoretical purpose all of the things he saw could have.

Tony scratched his goatee absently.

He should have brought something to work on with him. Now he was going to be bored for how ever long this took. It was the first time Reed had had a clearing in his schedule however, and he did have a unique perspective that Tony wanted to have looking at this thing.

Tony had suggested that Reed just be a consultant if they were to need him eventually, but Reed had insisted that he be more involved for some reason. It was far from Tony Stark to argue with the savior of human kind.

And with all of the government contracts and such Reed had been busy with; it wouldn't have been fair to ask the man to come to the Tower.

So Tony Stark fully expected to be bored as he looked about the lab at all the Skrull related assignments Reed was working on; he wished Extremis could work just for fun.

He missed the machinery in his head.

"How's everything with the Avengers?" Reed asked, pointing to a chair for Tony to sit down in. Tony eyed him for a second. He hadn't expected Reed Richards to start making small talk.

"Ah, fine. We're getting a lot accomplished. I didn't expect that so soon after SI was back up and running." Tony sat, the chair's material instantly sticking to his skin. _Great_. "So how do you like it here?" Tony asked in return, gesturing toward the lab.

"It's not the Baxter Building." Was all the other man would say.

Stark nodded, eying the lab again.

Tony found a camera in the corner of the room. He wondered if it had audio as well as video. _Again he wished he could access Extremis_.

"Nick Fury's gonna find out about this thing isn't he?" Tony nodded toward the camera.

"If he doesn't already know…" Reed retorted, looking oddly at the device in his hand.

Tony thought about that for a second, then decided he'd just worry about it later.

"The kids seem great. How's Sue and Johnny? And Ben…" Tony asked lightheartedly, wishing there was a window in the place to escape out of. The artificial lights above him were beginning to give him a headache.

"Everyone's good. I think we're all just happy to be together again. Be a family." Reed stretched his arm past Tony to grab at a device that looked identical to the one in his hand.

"Something wrong?" Tony asked him, leaning to his left to look at both devices in turn.

"I'm not sure. I thought it was just this bio-registrar, but now they're both acting up." Reed replied.

"Let me take a look." Tony took one of the devices and spun it to face him. The little monitor was flickering on and off.

Tony sighed. "It's nothing. Electronics act weird around me." He conceded.

"Really?"

Tony nodded in reply and leaned back in his chair. "There's sort of a pattern. It only acts up if I haven't been around that type of device before, if it's new to me. Well… new to me since the baby." Tony handed the compact scanner back to Mr. Fantastic. "It doesn't affect my phone or my electric shaver anymore. In fact it usually loses interest in anything that doesn't perform complex actions… It likes to mess with computers a lot."

Reed placed the device down on the table that sat between them. "And by _it_ you mean..?"

Tony considered that for a second. "Extremis." He answered. "But just give it a minute, the malfunctioning will stop. It doesn't even affect the scanner in the garage or the one in Hank's lab anymore."

"Fair enough." Reed stretched his arm past the table and withdrew written documentation from a stack of seemingly identical papers. "What insights can you give me from Pym's reports then?"

Tony shook his head. "I haven't been reading them." He admitted.

Reed responded with a genuine look of surprise. And it was surprising, even to Tony. Usually he'd be all over something of that nature. He'd had plenty of times when his own body had betrayed him. He'd hated it and had tried to do everything in his power to rectify the situation.

Tony liked to feel in control of things, and the more knowledge you had about something the better you could understand it. But every time he reached his hand out to read the actual reports Hank or Beast gave him, anything that wasn't the spark-notes run down version they told Steve, he couldn't touch it.

It was just too big for him.

"I honestly can't tell you why." Tony lied.

Reed considered that before crossing his arms. "You probably understand all of the intricacies of the reports better then _I_ do. Better then any of us."

Tony nodded. "That may be a part of the problem. If I find something... _wrong_ that I can't change, that'd be like--" Tony paused to think. _That'd be like going off to boarding school, his heart condition, his alcoholism, the SHRA, the Skrull invasion, Steve dying…_ "That'd be like a lot of things." Then he smiled. "It's not like you can trust my word on the matter anyway. Ultron's kind of notorious for mind control. Better for you and Hank and Beast to take care of it."

Reed's expression grew concerned. "You seem to be taking that possibility rather well." He stated, perplexed.

"What? Mind control? I eat mind control for breakfast." Tony stated with mock enthusiasm, the pain in his voice perfectly masked.

Silence fell between them.

"How are all of your projects going here?" Tony asked finally.

"It's just more of the same." Reed admitted. "These assignments from SHIELD are tedious."

"But necessary right? That's what they always say." Tony responded as Reed eyed the scanner once again. "We just ask for it don't we? Guess who decided designing the new Helicarrier would be a good idea." Tony pointed to himself.

"Congratulations." Reed stated, moving the scanner against Tony's temple and sampling the readouts. He frowned at the device. "According to this you're in a coma."

"Give it a few more minutes." Tony suggested. "And thanks. The blueprint in itself is taking forever considering I can't use Extremis to help aid in the designs and virtual space. And I've really gotten used to doing all of this by myself."

Reed Richard's face perked up. "Extremis. It really is astoundingly complex. It's marvelous…" Then his face narrowed. "But the more I learn about it, the more insidious it becomes."

He looked Tony in the eye. "I never would have taken it."

Tony laughed nervously. "It was a calculated risk." He said quietly.

"You didn't want to die."

Tony shook his head. "I was on a mission. I didn't want to lose." He took a deep breath. "Too many lives at risk."

Reed alternated the scanner between his hands.

"It worked out in the end." Richards stated after a moment.

Tony thought about that.

He had often blamed Extremis for the distance he'd been able to put between himself and his friends during the Civil War. Extremis ate at compassion and left you feeling invincible… decisively _not_ human.

Extremis was also responsible for the child growing inside of him.

"Yeah, it did." Tony didn't quite smile. His eyes moved to find an imaginary window again.

He definitely felt human now. He didn't want to equate his condition with the word _compromised_, but it wouldn't leave his mind. Invincibility was a thing of the past, and just when he had so much more counting on him… _so much to protect._

"Reed... doing this, being who you are… how do you keep your family safe?" Tony stated, suddenly very serious. "How do you keep your children safe?"

Reed Richards grinned for a second letting his gaze float to the ceiling, then down to the floor. "You have to trust yourself. You worry about them, I won't lie. You worry all the time. But you can't let it stop you from doing what you know needs to be done. You're making a better future. A better future for them." Reed placed the scanner down on the table and forgot about it.

"You keep them safe by making the world a safe place. It's as simple as that. It has to be. And you have friends and family that help. Hell Tony, you have an entire _team of superheroes_ to help you. I have a twenty year old who likes to set things on fire."

Tony smiled at that. He and Reed had talked about family before, but this was the first time Tony was able to see the love that went behind every word Richards said.

He found himself cringing at the thought that he hoped he would be _as good a dad as Mr. Fantastic_.

"And another tip, if you don't want any orange rock covered uncles to crush them into a fine powder you don't give them sugar." Reed was serious.

"I'll keep that in mind." Tony said, thinking he'd never seen Reed act so _human_ before. "Okay I have to ask you something else… It's been bothering me…"

"Yes?"

Tony smiled. "Why do you call yourself Mr. Fantastic and not Dr. Fantastic?"

Reed raised an eyebrow impossibly high. "Well, that would just be bragging wouldn't it?"

-------------------------------------------


	11. Chapter 4c Illuminati Feminine Redux

Moth- 17- Chapter 4.3- Illuminati: Feminine Redux

Steve smiled inwardly as he pushed Valeria higher on the swing.

They had started out playing catch, which had gone remarkably better then Steve would have thought. It wasn't that he figured it wouldn't go well… _alright it might have been that_… but Franklin had surprised him with his hand-eye coordination. Even _Valeria_ had an arm on her.

They had since migrated to the playground.

Steve could see Franklin up by the slide trying to explain the intricacies of gravity versus resistance and lift to a child who was picking his nose.

Steve pushed Valeria again. It took practically nothing to send the little girl air born. Steve paused to look down at his hands.

He was strong. He knew that. He'd never thought of himself in terms of being _too_ strong before.

"Again!" He heard Val squeak.

He bumped his hands in motion with the swing and she giggled with joy.

The sound of her laughter reminded Steve of an emotion he rarely felt unfiltered. He found himself anxious for his own child to be born.

Steve's thoughts fell back to Tony having to sit through hours long investigations once a week to keep their child safe… They were going to have a baby. And it would be a little girl like Valeria, or a little boy like Franklin.

Cap looked over at Franklin who had moved to the monkey bars, now explaining why your face turned red to the two children who were up side down on the metal rods.

_Well… maybe not exactly like Franklin…_

A boy or a girl.

After he had talked to Sam, Falcon had asked him if he knew the gender. Well, _first Redwing had flown screaming from the room_ _and Sam had held his head in his hands taking a few deep breaths_, but then he had asked Cap if he knew the gender.

Steve didn't know. And after today he honestly didn't care.

It would be wonderful either way.

Cap looked up at the clear blue sky and smiled.

He hadn't asked for this. In fact, the second he'd told Tony how he felt about him he'd given up on it. The dream of the white picket fence and the family to watch grow up around him. He honestly didn't think that Tony would ever want children. And he'd always been wary about bringing another life into this world himself. It could be so dangerous.

But with the sounds of the park resonating around him, the birds singing and the children laughing, everything was reminding him of how at peace the world could be.

This.

This was what he fought for and it was moments like these that allowed Steve to realize how breathtaking life was. That all of the darkness and hate was just a gritty covering, one that was thinning everyday if he had anything to say about it, and that underneath all of that, the world was beautiful and people were good. This was the place he wanted his child to know.

A woman settling her baby boy into the swing right next to Val's shook Cap from his thoughts.

He nodded at her politely.

"Oh she's adorable!" The woman cooed at Valeria as she secured her own child into the seat.

"Thanks." Cap responded. "I can't take credit though. I'm just the babysitter."

"Really? That's so refreshing." She stated enthusiastically.

"Is it?" Cap lowered his head to smile. "Well my intentions aren't exactly selfless." He admitted.

"Do you have a little one on the way?" She eyed him knowingly.

Steve responded by blushing.

"That's what my husband did around month seven, when the reality of this little guy really set in. He was all in a panic about being in charge of a child. _Big strong men_." She laughed.

Cap pushed Val's swing again.

"What's his name?" Steve eventually thought to ask, realizing that _panic_ was an emotion he'd never thought to mull over since hearing the news. It didn't seem like that bad of an idea now that he considered it.

"Virgil." She responded as the little blond haired boy reached his arms out to where Valeria was swinging.

"Do you want to go up in the sky Virgie?" The mother asked, her deep brown hair cascading in curls around her face.

"Up, up!" Virgil responded, cooing happily. She pushed him gently.

"You seem to be doing wonderfully at babysitting." The woman offered, since Valeria had yet to stop laughing. "How far along is the lucky lady?"

Cap froze slightly in his actions.

After the initial shock, and the initial afterglow, Cap had wanted to shout from the rooftops that he and Tony were going to have a child. He'd barely been able to contain himself, though he did understand Tony's reservations.

But now that he had the chance to finally talk about it, with a woman he'd never again meet, he found that the words were caught in his throat. Cap didn't want to lie. He didn't want to have to say how far along _she _was. His baby hadn't been made that way. His baby was in Tony, the person he loved and was going to marry. And that was perfect.

"I… he--"

"Cats!" Valeria shouted suddenly. "Cats, stop!"

"Cap." Steve corrected her halfheartedly. He slowed the swing quickly but gently and looked down at his charge.

"What is it Valeria?" He asked sweetly.

"Bathroom." She exclaimed.

"You need to go to the bathroom?" He asked her, lifting her from the seat.

"No I wented already." She said quietly, pulling at his blue t-shirt.

"Oh… ok." Cap looked to the woman gently pushing her child. "If you'll excuse me."

She smiled. "Of course! The bathroom's over there." She pointed to her far left, near the parking lot.

"Thanks." Steve held Valeria slightly out in front of him and picked up the bag he'd left at his feet. His eyes once again searched for Franklin.

He was at the water fountain.

"Hey Franklin buddy, come with me."

Steve started heading toward the bathrooms as Franklin trotted behind him.

Cap sighed softly and smiled.

"What _is_ your mother doing?" Steve asked Valeria, who responded by covering her eyes.

Steve laughed.

_That's right, today she's invisible._

--------------------------------

Jan ran through the events again in her mind.

It wasn't that she was having difficulty understanding the concept; it was more that she had no idea where to go from here.

Hank's reactions to her finding out had been almost synonymous with the desire to jump out in front of a bus. It was then that Jan decided that for Hank to keep everything out in the open like that in his lab, he must have gotten used to the fact that no one ever came to visit him. She wasn't sure if she had wanted to hug him or hit him when she realized that so she settled for promising not to tell a soul instead.

They had avoided each other after that for days.

Then finally, at the date they already had planned, Jan had tried to get him to be ok with her at least admitting to Steve and Tony that she knew.

That had gone over like a lead balloon.

Hank had started talking about how this was _too big of a thing_ and that _he always messed up_. _She couldn't let on that she knew and that Steve and Tony would tell everyone soon enough, couldn't she just wait?_

But it seemed like Steve and Tony were waiting forever to tell anyone and Jan couldn't figure it out. Her mind kept going to places darker than she intended.

This just wasn't something she could keep inside! She felt, if not responsible for this then definitely a large contributing factor. Ultron had changed Tony to match how _she_ looked. It was something that she had joked with him about, Tony had joked too, but how had that really affected him? Steve's death, the Skrull invasion, and then Ultron taking control of his body... Jan sometimes wondered how Tony was still standing.

And now this. _How did things like this happen?_

Hank was quietly panicking. To bring the topic up more with _him_ would just be counterproductive. And then there was this horrible voice in the back of Jan's mind that wouldn't let her forget about how effective Ultron was at mind control.

She needed to talk to someone about this…

And so, here she sat.

Jan had organized this lunch with the best of intentions. She had honestly just wanted to get together with some friends after the world of Skrull had settled down and her party had gone off without a hitch.

The guest list had substantially shortened after what she had discovered, and the people she surrounded herself with now all seemed to be key components in a very interesting puzzle.

Jan was convinced that if Hank knew, Reed Richards and Henry McCoy did as well.

If anyone _else_ knew, and would actually _share_ that fact with her, it would be one of the three people here now.

"Sorry I'm late." Sue Richards apologized, as she took a seat next to Carol Danvers.

"We've hardly been waiting a bit dear." Emma Frost cooed. "They haven't even brought us water." The platinum blonde stated, biting her lip at the waiter closest to them.

Jan already regretted letting Emma know this luncheon existed in the _first place_, let alone not calling her to say it had been postponed, as she had done to so _many_ of her friends.

Her fears concerning Ultron had gotten the better of her though and she'd wanted to know if the X-Men's resident psychic had heard any interesting thoughts from Beast as of late.

She smiled at her guests, the breeze from the location they had chosen right outside the restaurant a much needed respite from how humid the day had been.

Drinks came and food was ordered.

Their conversations ranged from the mundane to the miraculous.

Sue began a conversation about the Fantastic Four having to deal with Darkouth and the Otherplace, to which Carol had responded, "The guy with the ankle wings and the purple skin?" Sue nodded and admitted that she had no idea how Doom had thought that was saying anything good about bio-engineering.

Emma changed the subject to if anyone had seen the latest episode of _Project Runway._

After that, it was easy for Jan to find an opening in the conversation to get at what she was dying to know.

"Jan that reminds me! How did your party go?" Sue solicited, before taking another sip of her drink.

"Oh. It went marvelously. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Work was never so fun. I spent half the time dancing the night away with Tony Stark." She beamed, inwardly feeling her heart against her chest.

"Tony." Sue hesitated for a moment. "You know he and Steve both went to see Reed at work today."

Jan's expression stayed bright. "Really what for?"

"Oh I have no idea." Sue replied dismissively. "I'm sure it will revolutionize modern science though, as it always does. As long as it isn't for SHIELD... Reed won't say anything, he knows how important his innovations with Skrull are, but it's driving him crazy. I really think that he wants to put all of that behind us." She ended, referring to the Skrull.

Jan's face fell, as did everyone's at the table, albeit for different reasons.

Finally Emma Frost broke the silence. She brushed the hair from her face. "Tony's been busy. He's made a few visits to the Mansion lately as well. Though whatever he and Beast were doing in the med labs _definitely_ wasn't for SHIELD." She stole a look at Jan as her locks fell back in front of her eyes.

Jan looked at her hesitantly.

"Both Henry and Reed came over to see Tony at the Tower a while back. When Tony wasn't doing so well. I wonder what it's all about." Carol chimed in. Jan looked down at her food.

"Tony wasn't doing well?" Sue asked politely, out of curiosity.

"It was a while ago. He certainly wasn't himself." Carol twirled her straw around in her drink. "I wanted to talk with everyone about Tony anyway. It's healthier then walking on eggshells. This is as good a start as any." Carol continued. "He pretty much admitted to me that he'd fallen off the wagon. He's better now I think but I don't know the details. He's been... _withdrawn_ lately if it isn't anything to do with Cap." She spoke quickly but with a calm forcefulness, the edges of her cheekbones deepening in color. She turned to face Jan. "I appreciate that you wanted to get him out of the Tower but I'm not sure going to your party was the best idea. I wasn't sure if I should say anything but since you invited me here I wanted to be honest."

"Oh." Jan said, a little taken aback. Carol really didn't know. "I had no idea." She stated, for lack of a better thing to say.

"What else could it be? They fixed Extremis." Carol's face was filled with determination. She wasn't taking any other possibilities to heart. It was evident to Jan that she'd thought of worse options as to what could be going wrong with Tony and had decided that it wouldn't be any of them. Not if she had anything to do with it.

She wanted something she felt she could actually _do_ something about.

Jan felt horrible. She hadn't thought of saying anything unless it was evident they already knew but how could she not tell Carol what was going on with Tony?

Not that _'No Carol, Extremis isn't eating Tony's brain, he's just being taken over by Ultron from the inside out.'_ was any sort of improvement.

_But maybe she should just..._

Jan looked pensively around the table. She opened her mouth to speak.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Carol voiced before Jan had a chance to say anything. The blond wore a puzzled expression, as though the notion had occurred to her suddenly.

"Me too!" Sue piped in, sounding almost as equally surprised. "I'll go with you."

The two women quickly excused themselves from the table and Jan looked at her salad incredulously. _That was awfully abrupt._ Not finding any answers in her food she lifted her head to the other woman still seated at the table.

Emma Frost smiled at her darkly through MAC moonflower eye shadow, slowly stiring the ice in her drink.

"Are you certain you want to say such things?"

Jan sat straight in her chair, offended.

Well… it was obvious _Emma_ knew.

Jan couldn't think of a response. She felt her pulse quicken as her mouth opened to utter nothing at all.

"You're all twitery and fearful. I can understand. But do you really think that you should tell them the big news? What gives you the right to do that?"

Jan felt her anxiety transform into heat. She tried to push her own thoughts into the recesses of her brain.

"What gives you the right to read my mind?" Jan asked indignantly, her face tight.

Emma smiled at her words and crossed her legs. "Evolution."

Wasp chewed at the inside of her lip.

"The people you should be confronting are Steve and Tony."

_I promised I wouldn't, _the voice in Jan reasoned.

"So you're going to spill the beans to their nearest and dearest? How admirable Janet! I approve."

"If you think that--"

"Let's you and I have a little chat about secrets." Emma interrupted her. "Now I've always had a problem with them, because I sometimes find out things that no wants me to know."

Jan folded her hands neatly in her lap, squeezing tightly, deciding to hear the other woman out.

"I've struggled all my life to find balance in keeping those secrets. I never asked for them, but there they are. Those precious little things." She said flippantly. "I know words, events, feelings, that would hurt if they were to ever be set free. They _pour_ off of people, and sometimes I'm weak." Emma fingered the rim of her iced-tea glass. "There was a time when I would have held such things over other's heads; a time when I had to." Emma straightened in her chair. "But there are other kinds of secrets too. The kinds that people hold to keep things safe." Emma smiled.

"You feel responsible for this because it was something you helped to create, however inadvertently. Now instead of asking _how do we deal with this_, all melodramatically, perhaps you should be asking if this makes them happy? You don't tell secrets if in doing so you bring about more bad then good." She flicked her fingers absently. "And of course good and bad is all _subjective_ and other boring things, but in all honesty," Emma leaned forward against the table. "If a secret is one that is guarded with the very life of a person, then you shouldn't tell it. Now don't you think that Steve and Tony would guard their _child_ with their lives?"

Jan's gaze fell to the floor.

With how apprehensive Hank was about everything Jan had felt nothing but panic over the news.

_But a baby.._.

Jan hadn't thought of it from that point of view. She'd been stuck on how this was going to affect her friends, and hadn't progressed to what the end result would be.

Tony was going to have a baby. And he was taking it to term. He _wanted_ this child and he was taking every precaution he could to make sure it was safe.

_Tony and Steve wanted this. _

And she was going to take away their joy in telling it to the Avengers because she was... _well, whatever she was._

"And I know you're thinking mind control, but don't worry. It's not that." Emma stated, almost gently.

Jan eyed her for a second.

Emma's features softened. "Again with the, _you just don't know who to trust_. After the Skrull it's difficult to turn that switch off and be able to depend on everyone again. Trust _him_ again."

Jan's eyes widened a bit, but she said nothing. If Jan really wanted to be honest with herself, that was why she had run to Emma, and Carol, and Sue in the first place. She had promised not to talk to Steve and Tony but... she hadn't wanted to talk to Beast or Reed either becasue they had worked with _him_. Jan shook her head, fighting the tears she knew might come. _Hank_. Her Hank. He was back and she hadn't even known he'd been gone. Hadn't known that _Skrull_ had--

"Such tortuous thoughts." She heard Emma say.

Jan all but rolled her eyes, but before she could tell Emma what she thought of her for reading her mind again, Sue and Carol returned.

As they came within hearing distance and took their seats at the table, Emma's posture changed and with a fake air of concern she stated, "Goodness Janet dear, I just don't know what we're going to do with this mystery about Tony Stark!"

Jan's eyes widened. "I… I don't know. I think the best idea for this would be to ask him. Or let him tell us himself." She stuttered. Then she turned to Carol. "I'm sure he's fine. He was _Tony_ at my party."

Carol looked between Jan and Emma. Then her eyes softened. "Yeah. You're right. I… I'm sure you're right. But just… in the meantime, no alcohol in the Tower. I mean it."

Jan nodded in affirmation as Emma stated, "I don't think that alcohol around children is a good idea anyway."

Jan's head whipped around to face Emma like it was on a spring. The only thing that kept Jan from clawing her fingernails into the other woman's face was the soft voice of Susan Storm.

"Oh I agree. After an incident with Franklin, I've found making Johnny and Ben keep any of their personal stuff in their respective rooms and making sure the wine rack is locked in the cupboard is for the best."

Carol shocked, turned to Sue. "Wait. Franklin was drinking!?"

"Of course not!" Sue assured. "He had just read the ingredients label and deduced he could try to use it as fuel for his rocket since 'Dad' wasn't there and he knows he can't go into the lab to make any without him." Sue shook her head before continuing, "The burn marks on the walls were worse than that time Johnny's powers were on the fritz. At least Franklin was fine."

Jan nodded to Sue's story like it was a happy little cave she could crawl into. "Dealing with geniuses is a full time job!" She exclaimed, the volume of her voice a bit above the rest of her compatriots. Sue laughed in agreement.

Unfortunately _Carol_ wasn't so easily distracted.

"What do you mean about children in the Tower Emma?" She asked the blonde calmly, taking a bite of her meal.

Emma smiled. "Well,--"

"Danielle!" Jan interrupted, flashing a bright smile Carol's way.

Carol raised an eyebrow in response.

"Why yes Janet, that was what I was about to say." Emma fussed. "Tony was telling me all about the sweet pea just last week when he came to visit Henry."

Jan stared apprehensively at the other woman.

"You really should try to stop by more often Janet, the mansion is always open. To all of you." Emma added, addressing the table at large.

_Bitch_, was the only thought Jan could form in her mind.

Emma smiled.

"It's always a pleasure spending time with you."

--------------------------------

"You'd think you'd get better cell phone reception in a government installation." Tony stated in an aggravated tone.

He and Reed were walking back to the front of the building. Cap had just called Tony to tell him that they had returned and it had been only about twenty minutes after Reed had finished analyzing the readouts.

Good timing all around.

As Tony found himself back in the main lobby he heard the high pitched squeak of a little girl. "Daddy!"

Valeria stretched her arms out as far as they would go once she saw Reed Richards enter her field of vision. Reed smiled faintly in response and walked toward her as he stretched his arms out long to close the space between them.

She was still in Steve's arms. As the blond handed his young ward over to her father Tony and Cap's eyes met.

Steve smiled and Tony fought the urge to run up and embrace him. He wasn't sure why the feeling was so strong, but he could tell Steve was thinking the same thing.

Tony bit his cheek and instead turned back to Reed.

"Alright you'll fill Steve in on everything?" Tony reaffirmed as he tried to figure out what might make Valeria smile. _Maybe if he made a face at her?_

"Of course. And thanks again for taking the kids to get something to eat." Reed replied.

"What?" Steve countered, moving up behind Tony and hanging his arm over Tony's shoulder and across his chest.

"Well you didn't get a chance to feed them did you?" Tony asked, clasping onto Steve's arm, trying not to show how comforted he was by the man's presence.

"No but, story time doesn't take that long and we can all go together after."

Tony shook his head. "Don't call it story time. _Beast_ calls it story time. Reed is going to explain to you boring scientific things on those machines of his that little kids won't care about. Plus I can only sit in one place for so long..." Tony twisted his neck to look at Steve. "And I'm really hungry."

Cap looked crestfallen. "And when you're done you guys can join us." Tony added smiling.

Steve tried to smile. "Yeah that sounds good, there are lots of places right by the park." He suggested.

"Good." Tony knew it was for the best. It was the first time Cap had agreed to let Tony out of his sight, or the sight of Hank, Reed, or Beast outside of the time he spent on differing floors of the Tower. This was good for both of them.

Tony made himself let go of Steve's embrace and maneuvered out from under the man's arm. He collected Valeria from Reed and turned to Franklin.

"Hungry?" He asked. They both nodded in unison.

Tony turned to say good-bye to Steve. The blond was being pulled past security as Reed had started back to the lab already. He smiled.

This was good. Getting to spend time with children was good. He could totally do this. And without Steve. He hadn't wanted it to be without Steve but he had to prove this to himself.

And honestly…

_What's the worst that could happen?_

_----------------------_


	12. Chapter 4d Diner Dash

Tony shifted slightly in his seat at the diner. He was almost able to convince himself that it was because the hard wooden seat beneath him was a tad unforgiving, and that his fidgeting had nothing to do with who he held in present company.

Tony looked across the table at Franklin staring back at him. Valeria was in a booster seat to his left. It had taken him a few minutes after the seating hostess had handed him the booster seat to realize it was for the little girl, but now, everything was right on track.

"So..." Tony began. "What color crayons did you get?" He attempted, rather lamely.

Franklin eyed the child placemat in front of him and the crayons that had come with it. "Blue and yellow." The boy responded as though Tony had a mental deficiency. Tony supposed he deserved that. With the way Franklin's mind worked, Tony wasn't sure if he shouldn't just talk to the kid like a little adult.

"Great." Tony said, enthusiastically. He avoided the way Franklin was eyeing him and turned to Valeria. "What about you?"

Valeria didn't bother looking down at her crayons. She simply looked up at him with big doe eyes.

Tony smiled at her hesitantly.

"I want ice cream." Valeria exclaimed, joyously.

"Oh…" Tony thought about that for a second. He was fairly certain Valeria hadn't had any dinner. He wasn't even sure if she'd had lunch, considering who her father was.

"Ice cream?" Franklin asked, suddenly interested in Tony as an authority figure. His excitement at the prospect of dessert showed just how young he truly was.

Tony looked at his own menu and felt a sudden interest in ice cream as well but... that had to be bad parenting. If he'd learned one thing though, it was that life was built on compromise.

"How about protein and veggies, and then ice cream." Tony offered.

"Pwo-teen." Valeria mimicked, seemingly mulling it over.

Tony nodded his head. "Yes, like… chicken." Tony decided. "Do you want chicken?"

"Wings!" Valeria declared, animatedly.

"Right then," Tony agreed, looking through the menu. "Chicken wings. Barbeque, honey garlic or spicy wings?"

Valeria tilted her head in serious contemplation. "SPICY!"

Franklin shook his head. "Get the honey garlic. Valeria doesn't eat spicy food. She just doesn't get it." He said, matter-of-factly, as a waitress walked up beside the table.

Tony nodded again and looked up at the waitress. She smiled at him expectantly, pen in hand.

"I like honey." Valeria told Franklin, as Tony gave their order to the waitress.

When he shifted his attention back to the kids, he found that Franklin had collected the square coasters from the table and was now building a pyramid out of them.

When Franklin reached the summit and only had one card left, Tony rooted around on another table to get him more. Franklin continued to build.

Tony smiled at the boy's choice in design and fought the urge to have a conversation about engineering. But he did let it slip that triangles were one of the sturdiest structures to build upon. Franklin, of course, already knew that...

Valeria watched her brother, as Tony did, with cautious optimism, as the cards were all used one by one. When Franklin was finally done he turned to his sister and smiled.

"Okay Val. What would Uncle Ben do?"

Valeria squeaked, as though she'd been waiting patiently for this very moment, and raised her hands above the house of cards. "Clobber!" She said. But before she could smash her hands down, the coasters tumbled to the table on their own.

But not truly on their own, Tony soon realized, as he looked around the diner. The ceiling lamps swung slightly as the ground trembled beneath their feet.

_Great._ Tony muttered inwardly. _An earthquake..._

Before another thought could enter Tony's mind, an Illanian came hurtling through the glass pane window near the front seating area.

A few people sitting in the front tables flew to the ground. The impact looked painful, but not fatal. The Illanian impacted with the long table bar that ran along the left side of the diner. It stopped, scanning its surroundings.

After that, the shaking of the ground only intensified. Yells of shock, and the sounds of things shattering to the ground, bombarded the little diner.

As panic began to break out, and people began running away from the intruder, Tony pulled Valeria into his arms protectively, and tried to get Franklin to grab his hand. Franklin, of course, chose the current situation to protest his independence.

Franklin stood up from the table and ran to another little boy, only a bit older than him, who was crying for his mother.

As Tony tried to figure out what next to do, he fleetingly imagined that the boy's mother was most likely already through the back exit of the diner, as so many of the patrons were pouring through, and was out on the back street. She was probably outside wondering where her son was.

Tony stood up from the table and shouted out Franklin's name. Franklin didn't get to so much as look up, as the tremors in the earth accumulated in another Illanian tunneling its way up through the foundation of the diner. It sprung up in the establishment, concrete raining down around it, and did not slow its momentum until it was halfway back into the store.

Tony froze, trying to figure out what he could do to keep everyone safe. His first instinct was to call his armor.

And that was no longer an option.

The second Illanian stalked slowly through the remaining space in the diner, seeming to scan everything and everyone who was left there. But it didn't try to halt anyone who ran.

It stopped when it reached Tony's table, its mechanics whirring ominously.

Tony took in a steadying breath, then he smirked.

"Thanks, but someone's already taken our order." He said, trying not to look over at the bulky, earth-colored armor. He fixed his gaze on Franklin, who was still out of his reach.

"Yep," Valeria agreed, quietly.

The Illanian staring him down didn't make a sound, and simply tilted its head slightly, as though amused by Tony's priorities.

As the rest of the patrons, who hadn't already made it out of the diner, rushed past him, Tony caught the eye of the seating hostess.

As she passed behind him she slowed, and Tony turned cautiously, still trying to gauge the reactions of the Illanian, and gave her Valeria. She took the little girl with steady hands, her eyes pleading for Tony to follow her.

"Be good." Tony told Valeria. "Your parents are on their way." He added. He'd already activated the tracking device on the watch that Reed had Valeria wear in case of emergencies, back when the first Illanian had crashed through the glass. The Fantastic Four would be there in record time and, if he knew Steve, the Avengers too. "I'll take care of your brother."

Making sure the Illanian wasn't going to do anything to impede her procession, the hostess continued toward the back exit, clutching Valeria to her to chest.

Tony heard Valeria say in a small sing-song voice "Franklin's in trouble." as they disappeared through the door.

"I hope not." Tony mouthed, as the metallic Illanian whirred slightly in his stance.

Tony flicked his gaze between the Illanian, and the rest of the diner. It was gratifyingly barren, though it still had a few people. Some were hurt. The glass and debris caught in cement, plaster and flesh brought Tony hollow memories from various traumas over the years. He allowed himself a second to gaze at a man unconscious on the floor, and regretted doing so.

Finally, the Illanian at the front of the store moved again. Its deep rust colored armor knocked into lamps hanging down from the ceiling. One crashed to the floor, sending more glass careening every which way. Sparks emanated from the exposed wires.

As the Illanian neared, Tony made note of where Franklin was, now bent down next to the other little boy, his hand on his back in a comforting way. The other boy was now hiding underneath the table bar and Franklin couldn't get him to come out.

Tony didn't hesitate in walking over to where Franklin was at the bar. Both Illanians followed his trajectory intently.

"Pretty dramatic entrance for you to just be staring at me." Tony muttered sourly at the Illanians, as he neared the bar.

"They don't wanna be here." Tony heard Franklin say. Tony chose to ignore the boy's statement. He instead tried to come up with a working theory of his own, as he waited for the Illanian's to do something. Franklin stood by Tony's side, and Tony got the other little boy to stand as well. He made both of them get behind him, and began walking slowly backwards toward the back exit. Considering how the Illanians were acting, whatever it was they wanted, they seemed to need him alive to do it.

The one closest to him made a noise of amusement. There was some resistance in the metal as an arm reached out toward him and then back down again. "He wants you." The sound of the Illanian's voice reverberated through Tony's chest.

Tony narrowed his gaze, focusing on breathing. He stopped moving and was vaguely aware that Franklin was pulling the other boy and continuing on to the back door.

Good.

"As long as _he_ doesn't _love_ me." Tony responded, trying to mask his concern. His hands ghosted over his abdomen fearfully as his stomach twisted, almost sending him back to the nausea he remembered all too well from earlier months.

"Come peacefully and we will not harm anyone. We will not harm the child." The Illanian replied, in a booming voice.

They obviously weren't talking about Franklin, and Tony had to swallow hard to keep from stammering. _Wait…_

Tony tried to drag his mind out of the memory he'd stumbled into. He fought to focus on something else, something like escaping... or distracting them long enough for reinforcements to arrive. It wouldn't be long now…

But the great and glaring details of the events that had taken place the day the Avengers had fought the Illanians at the JFK airport weren't leaving his mind. He clenched his hands into fists, feeling the blunt pressure of his fingernails digging into his skin.

The Illanians knew about his child. They had been the one's to tell him… and he'd carved it out of his mind and misplaced it. When he'd first learned about the baby, events that immediately followed were _hazy_ at best. Things had happened in one big crash.

"Our prerogative has changed slightly. Same goal, different means." The deep grating voice of the Illanian front man stated, his clay colored suit of armor gleaming dully against the lights in the diner. "The Earth will thank us for our deeds."

Tony blinked. He vaguely remembered a phrase about hurting children bringing the Illanians no _honor_. Apparently, that rule was out the window. Now _he_ wanted him… whoever _he_ was.

Tony had no intention of going with them, but wasn't quite sure how to stop them.

"Tell me why--" Tony began, trying to stall for time. He was interrupted by an explosion out on the street in front of the diner. In the second it took him to recover from the blast, the Illanian closest to him pierced its clamp down on his shoulder, trapping him.

Tony yelled out in pain, closing his eyes on the tears that had started to flow without his permission.

He couldn't think.

And then…

And then Tony did something he hadn't done in weeks.

Data streams rolled into his head.

It was instinctual. He was hurt and the ports flew open to try and mend. Tony felt the energy the armor hurting him was producing, warp through the connections in his mind. He felt the Extremis connection take its toll on his body as the Illanian armor froze. Its clamp disengaged and it rocked backward, sputtering to the ground. Its systems had overloaded. Tony wasn't certain how long it would last.

Tony dropped to his knees and gripped his shoulder tightly. He coughed from the pain and tried to clear his head.

He heard another noise come from the street out in front of the diner. There were obviously more Illanians out there. And someone who was fighting them…

When Tony could think again, he took a deep breath to steady himself. He was alone in the diner… alone with other patrons who were either too hurt or too afraid to leave. The other Illanian must have gone out front to join the on-going ruckus outside.

Tony smiled weakly and went to stand. His knees threatened to buckle as he fought a wave of lightheadedness. He sat back on his knees and took another breath.

Tony lifted his head slowly, steel-blue eyes dark and slightly unfocused.

Outside, it had to be the Avengers. Or the Fantastic Four…

Tapping directly into the Avengers' comm.-link using Extremis was just a thought away at this point and suddenly Tony was hearing his teammates with his inner ear.

Steve _was_ outside, the clang of his shield was clear over the comm- just like the panic in his voice.

'It'll be okay,' Tony thought to himself, and possibly relayed it over the comm…. it was hard to tell.

He was tired and… thinking wasn't working very well. It did enter Tony's mind that he didn't want to join an on-going battle out front so it was best that he stay in the diner.

The battle had other ideas.

An Illanian came back through the window that had already been destroyed, Spider-Man slinging in on its heels.

The only thing that saved Tony from being smashed into something, or grabbed at again, was Spidey's quick thinking, and a few well placed web shots.

Tony found himself underneath the table bar, close to where the boy had been, sticking to the wood behind him with web fluid.

He supposed it was better then being stuck to the wall and left to hang there until the webbing wore off.

Tony watched, trying to stay alert, as Peter took care of the Illanian and then worked to evacuate the remaining people.

Next, Tony was aware of Ben Grimm pounding his fist into the ground, "C'mon I hear this place owes Val some wings. They make the best wings within walking distance of the new place- what a shame."

"I know, Jarvis won't even make us chicken wings for poker night!" Luke Cage said, coming into Tony's peripheral.

"My Aunt makes really good chicken wings!" Peter quipped, checking out the back entrance of the diner.

"Not the same, I'd feel guilty making your old lady make us all those wings... you know how many we eat on poker night between you, me, and the insatiable Thing!" Luke Cage retorted. He shook his head, smashing his fist into an Illanian and dodging a blow.

Peter laughed. "Yeah, god, I always wonder what the delivery people think when we order that much food. Probably think we have a hundred people hidden upstairs.... And Aunt May is -mature- now, not old, alright! I got this lecture yesterday when I made a mention of it while she and Jarvis were... y'know."

"Sweet Christmas, Peter. You know how to leave a man with a horrible picture seared into their brain- have mercy!" Luke said, from the front entrance.

---

The fight only lasted moments longer, or at least, that was all Tony was conscious of. The next thing he was able to really focus on was the fact that Steve was suddenly in front of him.

Tony rubbed his face with the back of his hand.

He looked up at Steve, who despite having his shield strapped securely on his back, was still in jeans and a t-shirt.

He hadn't felt he'd had time to change into his uniform.

"Tony." Steve said, urgently as though he'd been saying it for a while.

"I'm okay." Tony said, after a second, just now realizing he was outside on the sidewalk, and leaning up against the glass of a telephone booth.

"Kids?" Tony immediately thought to ask.

"They're fine. Franklin and Valeria are fine." Steve responded, offering him a hand to stand.

Tony laughed.

"I like the ground." He responded, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth. He wasn't sure if he could trust his legs for a while. He shot a lopsided grin up at Steve. "I'm not exactly used to being rescued."

Steve shook his head fondly. "I've had lots of practice... And I like you in my arms." He added quietly, so only Tony could hear. Tony closed his eyes and chuckled briefly, knowing definitively who had taken him from the diner.

"Steve," Tony said, as he lifted his hand out to take Cap up on his offer to help him stand (it didn't work as well as he'd hoped, and Steve was mostly holding him up as he tried to get his head to stop feeling like it was packed with gauze). "We really owe those kids some ice cream."

--------------

Hank read another line of code from the scan he'd just run and altered the computer's screen slightly so he could have a better view of the data. He ran a hand across his chin in contemplation and noticed the stubble there. He'd have to shave soon.

He pushed the thought from his mind and continued trying to look at the cyclic data scrolling across the screen. He remembered why he loved working with things that were alive. Sometimes computer code could be remarkably repetitive.

Hank sat up straight in his chair at the far window of the penthouse in Stark Tower, steeling his mind to get back to work.

He figured he'd at least pretend to be busy, as the steady rise and fall of Tony's breathing filled the room.

Then he heard the sheets rustle on the bed.

Hank looked up from his computer. His eyes settled on the bed. Tony had his hand over his eyes.

"Tony…" Hank said, quietly.

"They're targeting me." Tony replied, his voice hazy.

"Yeah, I…" Hank trailed off for a second, not sure of what to say and not completely convinced that Tony was really awake. He'd spoken a few times before, mostly about how much work he had to do, and then one time about Hawaii…

But Hank had figured the Illanians were targeting Tony the second he'd heard about the situation. All of the Avengers had. The Illanians had shown up at a small time café, instead of a fortune 500 company with too many smog code violations, the one time Tony had gone out armorless and without a superhero escort.

"They can track me." Tony voiced, seemingly thinking along the same lines Hank was.

"If they can, they won't be able to for long. We'll fix it." Hank said assuredly, running through the Extremis code on his computer again.

Tony made a noise in agreement, and then a sound of pain. He must have tried to move his shoulder too fast.

"Careful." Hank said. He put his laptop on the ground beside him, and moved his chair to be next to Tony's bedside.

Tony sighed heavily and tried to focus on Hank. "This whole thing is..." Tony trailed off, and then he laughed deprecatingly.

"What is it?" Hank asked. There was a look on Tony's face that he couldn't quite place. There was something mixed with the exhaustion that was trying to stay hidden.

"What could they want with…?" But Tony's voice wandered off again, and he had closed his eyes. He was still too out of it.

"You shouldn't force yourself to stay awake, Tony." Hank said, evenly.

The man had made himself stay alert the entire time Hank was scanning him to make sure the baby was okay. And now he was going in and out of consciousness as though he wasn't giving up the fight of just letting his body recuperate. Hank wondered what could be pressing so hard on his mind that he wouldn't let himself rest, but he didn't push the matter. He had an idea… actually, it was pretty obvious what was bothering Tony.

But how could the Illanians know about the baby?

Tony moved restlessly in the bed again and forced his eyes open. "Where's Steve?" He asked, anxiously.

Steve.

Cap hadn't been upset, per say, but he'd been quieter than usual, more intense maybe, when he'd brought Tony down to the garage and waited as Tony was scanned. As the baby was scanned.

He'd seemed pale too, but had gotten his color back the second that Hank was able to say that the baby was fine. That they were both fine, other then Tony's shoulder… and that Tony was only acting the way he was because he'd accessed Extremis again.

He'd helped Hank get Tony up to the penthouse and asked him to just watch over the other man as he went to go and talk to Fury. Fury, who had the other Illanians they'd managed to capture still in custody.

"He'll be back soon. He didn't want to leave, but I promised him all you'd be doing was sleeping, so stop making a liar out of me."

Tony scoffed at that, but his eyes shut again. "Tell me when he gets back." He murmured, falling asleep.

"Okay," Hank said, honestly. He gave Tony one more look over, and went to move his chair back to the window, returning to his computer.

He was just glad that he was up here and not trying to explain to the other Avengers why Tony had been attacked. Though, honestly, it was _Tony_… sometimes it felt like the list of parties invested in not attacking him was fewer than the opposite.

Hank was also grateful that no one had been seriously injured. Jan would say it was his pessimism talking, but things could have been a lot worse.

And then, well, he wouldn't exactly admit it aloud, but as tense as the day had been, the knowledge that Steve and Tony trusted him so completely, to the point where he was the one they turned to in making certain their child was okay after a crisis, almost completely erased the feelings Hank had had when he'd first returned after the Skrull invasion.

It was just nice to be trusted again, and not just because he'd stumbled upon data he shouldn't have known.

Steve could have taken Tony back to Reed's. But he hadn't. So, this was different. And Hank knew it wasn't facetious or a fair weather friendliness. It felt like all of that doubt and mistrust was finally coming to an end.

Which was another reason why Hank was glad he wasn't downstairs trying to explain (or not explain) to the Avengers why the Illanians were targeting Tony. Hank was pretty certain that the people on the floor below his feet weren't exactly feeling the trust and love.

And while Hank wanted the rest of the Avengers to know, for Jan to officially be allowed to know, that just wasn't the current case. So Hank would just have to do his best to protect Tony in his own way, while Steve went out and protected Tony the best way _he_ knew how.

It would work out. It would.

Hank went back to pretending to look over computer code.

----------------------------

Fury stopped in his trot across the fairway as he noticed Steve Rogers striding toward him. A look of annoyance splashed across his face. It was amplified by the fact that half of him was hidden in the nighttime shadows. The illumination of the outside grounds of the military complex now home to SHIELD didn't quite reach where Fury stood.

"How did you get in here?" He asked, roughly, moving ahead again and not bothering to wait for Steve to catch up.

"I said, '_Hi, I'm Captain America_,' to the guards." Steve answered, walking along side the other man, matching his quickened pace easily.

"Right," Fury said, chomping indiscreetly on his unlit cigar. "Of course you did." He paused for a second, looking back toward the building. "I think Osborn's been gifting me with his staff again."

Steve lifted a shoulder in response. "I need you to tell me about the Illanians." Steve said bluntly, diverting any other pleasantries.

"Damn security risks." Fury stated in return. Steve wasn't sure if he was talking about the Illanians or the staff he'd gone through to get here.

They continued walking for a second before Steve cut Fury off at the pass. Fury just glared at him as though saying if Steve were any other person, he'd have just gotten himself kicked out. Steve glared back, but finally sighed and looked around. "Do you have an office?" He asked.

Steve realized that most of the times he'd talked to Fury as of late, it had been through the radio on missions related to the Skrull.

Fury's face looked like Steve had touched upon a sore subject. "Not officially… _like that shit can is an office…_" Fury growled. "No. Not until Stark finishes my Helicarrier. He blew up my old one you know." He continued, as he walked past Steve once more.

"I think Agent Hill did that." Steve said, offhandedly. He continued to follow Fury.

"What do you want?" Fury asked him as they rounded a corner of a dupply building off the main construct. As they did, Fury finally slowed and looked over to Steve.

"Why haven't we made any more strides with tracking down the Illanians?" Steve asked, raising his arm to the wall of the surplus building, and leaning against it. "They've been in custody for three weeks."

"What'd they do? Destroy another factory that takes away from Stark Industries' competition?" Fury asked, moving his cigar from side to side in his mouth. "Travesty."

"This needs to stop." Steve said, deeply. Fury looked him over.

"What happened?" Fury eyed him suspiciously. "Why did you come here personally? Why not just phone a friend? Or hell, set up an appointment?" Nick asked, eyeing the comm. he'd given Steve months ago.

Steve simply lowered his head, keeping his eyes on Nick. Fury took a sharp inhalation of air and smiled. "Oh. You wanted to see the ones that were in containment, didn't you?"

Steve didn't move a muscle.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but they're under HAMMER jurisdiction now. Transferred two days ago. Damn lawyers. Don't get what Osborn's trying to prove…" Fury muttered off.

Steve shifted in his stance. "Why didn't--"

"Why didn't I tell you?" Fury interrupted. "You've been just fine to ignore the Illanian situation until now. You wanted me to keep you updated on the Illanians and anything I may hear, and I am. If you want me to have extra time to spend on _finding_ them and figuring out their life's ambitions, then you need to help me with _this_." Fury pointed a finger toward the main military building, as though he was pointing to the U.S. government in general.

"What about Wakanda? We know they've been seen near there." Steve offered.

Nick Fury's expression turned back to anger. "Right and SHIELD can just waltz in and out of Wakanda. Listen, we talked to the Black Panther and he says they jumped ship. They aren't where they used to be."

"Then where are they?" Steve said, seemingly asking himself.

Fury simply shook his head. "Can't waste manpower on a side story. Not with things like this."

Steve looked at Fury sternly. "That side story put innocent people at risk today. And Tony--"

"Oh, so that's it." Fury interrupted again. Then he widened his stance, crossed his arms and lifted his head defiantly. "I'm only going to say this to you once, _Captain America_: I'm sorry that the Illanians tried to hurt your boyfriend and that they're destroying large corporations that vie for his work. But meanwhile, the abandoned Skrull are destroying everything on the grid. They destroyed my helicarrier, they've killed my people and Osborn is doing shit to stop them. He's too busy making my life a living hell and fostering his delusions of grandeur." Fury's cigar made a crunching sound, breaking. Fury looked at it in annoyance. He spat it out. "You're lucky we have the new president that we do. If things had gotten any more shit-faced during the invasion I'm pretty sure the previous POTUS would have just scrapped SHIELD all together and called for a scapegoat, and then where would Stark be?"

Steve lowered his hand from the wall, lost in the possibilities that Fury's statement had brought to mind.

"Things could be much worse." Fury continued. "Who knows what dark times Norman Osborn could have reigned upon us if he'd been left solely in charge of clean up? I have to double check everything as it is to make sure he hasn't sabotaged something to get me shut down. I have to put up with a lot of shit to get all my work done, so yes, your boyfriend _does_ owe me a helicarrier, with a hell of a lot of security features. And tell him if he colors it red and gold I'm building him a coffin that'll match." Fury made a grunting noise and began to walk forward, back the way they'd come. Cap shot his arm against the wall, blocking the other man's path.

Fury smiled coldly. Steve just let his eyes plead the question on his lips.

Fury sighed.

"Whatever happened to you and Stark today, the Illanians in custody have no idea. They have no memories of the things they've done. Even the psychics we've got don't get anything but static where those memories should be." Fury said, agitated. "The damn robots don't even want to be released for fear that they might strike again."

"And you," Fury said, pointing his finger at Steve. "You should be looking at materials, not just locations. Find out why they're doing this, or who's doing this, and you'll stop them. You know that. You also know that we combed the areas that they've been using and have been seen attacking and fighting in, and nothing. Their stuff crawls away on its own somehow. But the metals they're using are always new, are getting replenished. Who has those kinds of resources?"

Steve rolled that information around in his head.

Fury sighed.

"I trust Stark made it out okay?" Fury said, in a slightly lower tone then before.

Steve shot him a glance and nodded curtly.

"Good." Fury put a hand into the coat he was wearing over his uniform and pulled out another cigar.

"Do you know?" Steve asked him suddenly.

Fury narrowed his glance and cocked his head to the side, studying Steve's face. "Listen I know that one of our department's is intelligence gathering, but you're gonna have to be more specific."

"Tony. Do you know about Tony?" Steve asked, his voice just above a whisper.

Fury looked around them like he didn't trust the location to not be full of wires and spies. Finally he put a hand on Steve's shoulder and lowered his head.

"Extremis has been messing up. A lot. Has been for a while. Months." Fury said, in return.

Steve nodded slowly and opened his mouth to speak.

Fury's grip on Steve's shoulder tightened. "Now whatever it is that you want to tell me, I think you should reconsider. I have a feeling that the less I know the better." Fury said.

Steve shut his mouth. _He meant the less Osborn knew the better…_

And with that, Fury turned and Steve let go of the wall.

Steve stood there as the sounds of Fury's boots tracked against the cement.

Steve hadn't exactly gotten what he'd wanted out of this conversation. But the knowledge that the Illanians weren't even aware of attacking the places they did, matched with what Franklin had insisted on in that they hadn't wanted to attack the diner. It also fit with what Tony had managed to tell him about the person who had wanted him captured… which actually, hadn't been much other then that. So who was_ he_? And what the hell did _he_ want with their child?

It looked like Captain America was going to have to pay a visit to HAMMER.

For the fiftieth time Steve was glad that Fury had taken back over SHIELD when he had. There were just too many ways a man like Osborn could manipulate things to the detriment of all. He hated to think that Fury had to do so much to keep things in line, but on the other hand he trusted Fury to what needed to be done and was just glad that a general amnesty had been given to the superhero community in regards to past discretions after all they had done during the Skrull Invasion.

He didn't want to think about the possible situations Tony could have found himself in otherwise. What position he himself could have been in, considering he'd just turned himself in when…

Steve shook his head. He didn't think about that. Ever. He was back now, and that time seemed like an entirely different life. In a lot of ways, it was.

And now, they would work through things together. They were Avengers and this was America. They all may be battered and bruised but they stood for something.

Something that was worth protecting, understanding, and defending.

So that's what Steve was going to do.

What kind of a father would he be otherwise?


	13. Chapter 4e Excuses

Tony sat back down on the bed after taking his shower, a towel around his waist. His eyes still felt heavy, but he couldn't make himself stay in bed any longer.

He sighed and pulled his arm up onto his lap tenderly, wincing as his shoulder pulled and burned, the bruises on it angry and dark. He could remember a time when Extremis would have taken care of any post-battle injuries in his sleep, but he guessed he'd have to settle for his body's own natural healing abilities to kick in for the time being.

He thought of the Illanian that had done this to him and found himself thinking a thousand questions he couldn't find the answers to.

There was a knock at the door and then the sound of it opening. Tony didn't bother to look behind him. "I'm fine, so you can just go clean somewhere else."

Jarvis simply hummed to himself, prompting Tony to turn his way. Jarvis smiled and then looked at the cleaning supplies in his hands before placing them on top of the nearest flat surface, the dresser in this case.

"Where would you prefer me to clean, Master Tony? Your living room has been taken over by Master Pym who refuses to leave the penthouse until the Captain returns, and keeps regaling me with the most interesting accounts of insects. Downstairs has Avengers strewn all about in the most haphazard of ways. I suppose I could dust around them." Jarvis retorted, closing the door behind him.

Tony rotated his shoulder tenderly. "Just tell everyone I'm fine. This whole thing is embarrassing."

"I'm sure they would feel better hearing it directly from you." Jarvis began to move about the room to pick up the clothes Tony had discarded before his shower. "They're just confused and concerned as to why you were attacked today." He added.

Tony scoffed. "Them and me, both." He winced. Then he closed his eyes and fell back on the bed. "The only thing I have going for me is the fact that no one died today. That's not exactly heroic."

"There is a difference between not allowing yourself to be sacrificed, and not being heroic, Master Tony. It's not an if, then statement." Jarvis assured.

Tony lifted his chin enough and turned his neck to gaze at Jarvis from his position laying flat on the bed.

"One day you're going to have to tell me how you do it Jarvis." Tony said, stinging with the fact that the older man always seemed to get what it was that he had the tendency to beat himself up over.

The encounter with the Illanians had only spanned minutes, but Tony had held a hundred scenarios in his mind, not acting upon any of them, as each one had placed him in more danger then he would allow. He couldn't do the things he'd always done as a superhero anymore. Because of the baby.

"Do what?" Jarvis asked, picking up a pair of pants.

Tony sat up tenderly. "Always keep track of the left socks." Tony replied, not looking at him. "It's a definite talent."

Tony stood up and moved to his closet, rummaging through it for something that wouldn't feel tight.

"I moved everything that still fits to the left." Jarvis said calmly, taking the clothes he'd collected and tossing them down the laundry shoot. "I believe you need to go shopping soon."

Tony moved over to the other side of his closet. "Thank you." He said quietly, grabbing some pants and pulling them on. Then he turned to Jarvis, raising his eyes slowly, as though they were weighted down with lead. "I know that we haven't exactly talked about this officially, but you seem to know anyway so--"

"There are some interesting things one can find in that garage of yours if they know how to read them properly." Jarvis replied. "I dare say I've been well versed in the language of Tony Stark for years now." He grinned at him earnestly.

"You did wonderfully today." Jarvis praised, when Tony said nothing in return.

Tony frowned at that. It certainly didn't feel that way. He hadn't been prepared for any of this.

"I was lucky. I had the Avengers." Tony stated, hesitantly.

"Exactly." Jarvis responded, as though it was the clearest notion in the world. He walked closer to Tony to pick up the towel Tony had discarded on the floor.

Tony shook his head, prompting Jarvis to stop straightening up. "But, I didn't plan for if this could happened. I should have been… what kind of a father am I going to be if I can't protect my kid now? If I can't plan for these sorts of things?" He raised a hand to his temple.

"A human father." Jarvis tilted his head, and smiled at Tony fondly. "A human father with an extraordinary life, and extraordinary friends."

Tony looked at Jarvis painfully. A human father… _that wasn't necessarily a good thing._

Tony rung his fingers through his hair. The words were on the tip of his tongue; he just had to say them.

"What if I'm just like him, Jarvis?" Tony blurted. "What if I turn out to be everything he said I'd be?"

Jarvis moved his hand to his chin thoughtfully, and then placed his hand on top of Tony's head. Tony felt like he was ten years old again.

"What if you turn out to be everything _I_ say you are?"

Tony's steel-blue eyes wavered uncertainly.

Tony could hear Jarvis sigh as he took his hand away.

"Tony!" A knock on the door resounded through the penthouse and a second later Steve was in the room.

"Steve." The tension in Tony's body seemed to drain away as their eyes met.

"Thank you, Jarvis." Tony said nonchalantly, though his eyes held the other man in his gaze for a long time.

"Of course, sir." Jarvis smiled. He nodded to Steve, who nodded in return, and took his cleaning supplies with him out the door.

"Steve," Before Tony had a chance to state his mind, the blond was looking the nasty bruise on his shoulder over for any improvement.

Tony batted his hand away. "You're not going to let me out of your sight ever again, are you?"

"Nope." Steve responded. "Do you need to sit down?" He queried, anxiously.

Tony only glared at him and went back to rummaging through his closet.

He saw Steve rub the back of his neck out of the corner of his eye.

"We're telling everyone about the baby." Tony exclaimed, grabbing a shirt off its hanger. He turned to face Steve.

Steve's face was light, though he looked like he wasn't sure if he wanted to smile or look at Tony like he was crazy.

"I should call a press conference." Tony said, pulling the shirt on over his head. It wasn't even all that tight. "And I should be setting up more programs for trying to find the supervillians who escaped during the Skrull invasion. Did you know that the Purple Man was among them? And the Unicorn. And then the headache that Victor's sure to create. And then this whole thing with the Illanians. I should--"

"Whoa, Tony slow down." Steve began rubbing Tony's good shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

Tony closed his eyes forcefully. "I'm ready. I can do this. No more secrets." Tony said, vehemently.

"Tony." Steve went to protest, but stopped. Perhaps he'd realized that the sadness in Tony's eyes, the thing that had been haunting him ever since Cap's return, had diminished some.

"We're gonna have a baby. And we're engaged." Tony said, trying to muster up the energy to say the words as passionately as he felt them.

"I… yes." Steve agreed. "I get that part."

"And today I realized that I was completely unprepared for that and for the trials that are awaiting us because I've been too afraid, too unsure of my own judgment that I haven't wanted to plan anything big. But this baby, it's the biggest thing possible, and there's no hiding it." Tony stated, trying not to trip over his own tongue.

"But mistakes are going to be made. That's life and you can't take it back." Tony continued, as if he were talking out a math problem.

Steve laughed. "Yeah, Tony I know that. I also know that if mistakes are made, we'll get through them together. I was talking to Fury and--" But Steve stopped that train of thought and just smiled at his fiancé. "Somewhere along the line, you convinced yourself that you were the bad guy Tony, and it's not true. It's never been true." Steve finished instead.

Tony smiled at Steve, his eyes felt tired again, like he could actually get a restful sleep. "We're going to have a baby."

Tony tilted his head. "We're going to have a baby." He repeated. And for the first time that statement of joy wasn't accompanied by dread. Tony's smile widened. "And the baby needs clothes, and a crib, and a college fund--"

Steve chuckled again and cupped Tony's face with his hand. "Yes! The baby does."

"And so we tell everyone."

-----------

Steve's smile faltered slightly, the words that Fury had spoken to him a mere thirty minutes before buzzing through his mind. "The Avengers you mean," He came back with. "We should tell the Avengers."

Tony's smile weakened then as well. "You were the one who wanted to tell people."

Steve stood up straight. "I want to tell our friends, Tony. I don't want you to be in any more danger then you already are."

"Danger." Tony's face hardened slightly. "You think I'm vulnerable."

Cap looked away for a second before responding, "I think that… certain people will see you that way and take advantage. It's happened before, just with different things." Steve ended quietly.

"Alright." Tony didn't argue the point. "But what then? We send me off to "summer camp" like all the other unwed teenage mothers? I hide up in the Tower never see the light of day? What's your plan for month nine?" He asked, jadedly.

Steve scoffed, shaking his head. "I just don't think we should tell the entire world right now."

Tony stood, looking at Steve intensely, as though thinking something over. "I'm not hiding this." He challenged. "We live this life. It's who I am. I'm not hiding."

Steve dropped his hands to his sides. "I'm not asking you to change who you are Tony, I just want you to think of the baby." The second those words left his lips Steve wished to God he could take them back. "That's not what I meant--" He added immediately, but the damage had been done.

Tony had his eyes closed. Tony was angry. He was trying to hide it, or he was trying the words on for size, Steve hoped it wasn't the later.

Tony opened his eyes and took a breath. "You think I'm not thinking about the baby." Tony said, fiercely. He took Steve's hand.

"It's right here Steve. It's inside of me and I'm more afraid then I've been about anything that I might hurt it myself, let alone have someone else come along." He let go of Steve's hand, but Steve didn't take his hand from where Tony had placed it on his stomach.

"I am thinking of the baby." Tony continued, a bit more reserved. "I can't even describe to you how I feel about what happened today, but I realized something. I can't be the same superhero that I was, because all I can think about is this child."

Tony paused, and then placed his hand back over Steve's hand on his stomach.

"Do you know what it's like to be such a disappointment? Nothing but in the way? Something to be shipped off and forgotten about?" Tony's words were solemn. "I'm not doing that to our child. I can't. I'm not ashamed of this." Tony's grip on Steve's hand tightened. "I'd do anything for this kid, and if that means points dipping in my stock or protests on my lawn, it's not like I haven't been through all of that before. And this time it'll be for something I can be proud of. Not because I was weak, or drunk, or accidentally blew up a hospital instead of a military installation, with weapons that have my name slapped to the side of them."

"Tony… please I--"

"It's going to happen eventually Steve, and I'm not going to explain to our child how the reason it was known to the world was because someone leaked it to the press."

"Tony." Steve said, desperately.

The tone caught his attention and Tony paused, looking at Steve expectantly.

"If you, we—if we tell everyone, I'm afraid… I'm afraid it'll be too much and I won't be enough to protect you. I wasn't there today." Steve's voice broke. "If anything were to happen to you, to the baby, I wouldn't… I can't lose you."

Tony's features softened. "Not possible." He assured, then he lifted his eyebrows. "Plus, today wasn't a kidnapping. It was a fact finding mission. Think about it… They knew you'd be there in minutes. They had to have known about the Fantastic Four. They were either desperate, or they goaded me into showing my weaknesses. Showing that using Extremis takes me out of the fight, like that." Tony snapped his fingers.

"By goading do you mean _clamped you on the shoulder_?" Steve asked, glad that the intensity of the conversation had gone down a bit.

"Yeah," Tony agreed, sardonically. "Whoever is in charge of all of this, he certainly doesn't mind sacrificing his pawns."

"Which, is why we tell the Avengers." Steve said brightly. "So they know what's at stake when this…person… sends things after you."

Tony took in a deep breath.

Steve continued.

"And we go shopping for all the things you were talking about. The crib, and the clothes and the baby books, and we just wait until we know more and can plan for everything we can think of before telling the world."

"Something I learned while you were gone," Tony said quietly, pulling Steve into a hug. "and was kindly reminded of just a few minutes ago, is that you can't plan for everything, and you just get punished for trying."

Steve breathed into Tony's neck.

"We need a compromise." He stated.

"Okay." Tony nodded.

"We set up something that all the Avengers, all of our friends we want to know, come to and we tell them about the baby." He stated smoothly and calmly. Steve found the tone soothing out all of the rough edges in his mind. "And then I'll work with Pepper and Matt, and try to find the best way to tell my company, to tell the world, and not have any supervillians after me."

Steve pulled away from Tony to glare at him.

"Not have any _more_ supervillians after me." Tony corrected, wincing slightly.

"Up your security." Steve responded, a good idea springing to his mind. "I want you to have a bodyguard."

Steve narrowed his gaze at the face that Tony gave him. "What? I don't care! Don't give me that look. Up your security, don't let everything protecting you be electronic, and hire a bodyguard."

Tony looked at him sourly for a second, before he settled down again.

"Right." Tony said finally, lifting an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

Steve thought about that for a moment.

"Let me hover." He said, quietly.

"What have I been doing up until now?" Tony joked. Steve didn't respond.

"Alright, fine." He said, exaggeratedly.

Then he snickered, it was a sound that caught Steve by surprise.

"A bodyguard, huh?" Tony slipped his right arm up around Steve's neck. His bruised left arm wrapped around Steve's waist.

"You _do_ know that's how I met Bethany, right?"

Steve shot him a sideways glance.

"I'll take my chances."

--------------

End Chapter 4


	14. Chapter 5a Crazy Making

Chapter 5.1- Part A

The sound of Tony's laughter resonated through the gym. Steve smiled as his fiancé tried to balance on one foot and failed yet again.

Steve could remember weeks ago when it would have been probable that Tony might have sworn or possibly pouted (though he'd deny it) in concern to how his body was changing. But the man had turned over a new leaf concerning the pregnancy. Steve was just glad that Tony didn't seem to be filled with an impending sense of doom anymore. His feelings had changed more to a nervous excitement that matched Steve's own feelings.

They could make it through this together. They could raise a child. How difficult could it be?

Steve purposefully didn't answer that question; in fact he divorced the idea from his head and focused once again on Tony. Right now was good and so right now was where he was going to stay; despite Tony's increased interest in their child's future.

"Bend your supporting leg," Steve reminded him. At this, Tony very pointedly bent his right leg and stared at Steve, slightly exasperated, as his left foot hit the ground once again.

"I don't think you're trying very hard." Steve said, playfully. Tony rolled his eyes and went back into the first position of the kata Steve was trying to teach him.

"How much longer do I have to do this?" Tony asked, a look of impatience upon his face. He dipped slowly downward and spread his arms to his sides.

"You don't like Tai Chi?" Steve countered, returning to the same position Tony was in and mimicking the motions, albeit more gracefully and purposefully.

"I have a few things I kinda need to get done." Tony replied nonchalantly. Steve knew Tony meant about i_forty/i_ things, but he refused to let Tony go a day without at least an hour of exercise. It was for the best, Steve had decided.

Tony could say he was stubborn and bullish all he liked. It didn't change the fact that he was right. And since he wasn't about to have Tony jogging around outside in the smog and the rain, Tai Chi it was.

Steve was almost certain that Tony didn't put up more protestations due to the fact that it also assured that they spent at least an hour (outside of the bedroom) together and were able to talk about non-Avengers related things.

"Hour's almost up." Steve assured. He moved his hands and torso in unison shifting to the left, bending slightly and moving his arms out in front of him. Tony kept in time with Steve until Cap moved his left foot up and went to sweep it across his body, his hands moving with him.

Tony laughed again as he stumbled to the side, unable to stay on one foot. "Isn't all of this supposed to i_improve/i_ my balance? Because the more we do it, the more I fall over."

Steve let his foot touch the ground and his arms drifted to his sides. "I think you're not trying very hard." He repeated. He moved to Tony's side.

Tony bit his lower lip, pretending to ponder that statement further. "I think… I've simply trained myself to resist ancient Chinese rituals."

Steve raised his eyebrow at him. "Or the kid has," Tony continued, looking down. Steve looked down as well. "Fast learner."

Steve put his hand on Tony's stomach. There was a definite and noticeable bump there. Noticeable to Steve, at least. He smiled.

Tony was warm to the touch. A lot warmer then usual, and he flushed easily. Steve felt he could get used to this glowing rosy Tony, though he'd never express the idea aloud. He was almost certain Tony wouldn't like the idea of being glowy.

"Alright," Steve pulled Tony in closer to him. "We're done." He kissed the other man briefly and then went to let Tony go. He paused for a second, and tilted his head. "Tony…"

"Hmm?" Tony asked, looking around for the water bottle he'd left on the gym floor.

"Is that my shirt?"

Tony looked at what he was wearing. The arms were too big for Tony, yet he filled out the torso just fine. It was most definitely Steve's shirt, there was no mistaking it. Tony paused for a moment, as though trying to figure out a way to feign innocence, or flat out deny it.

"Maybe." Tony responded guiltily. "What?" His demeanor changed in an instant and he looked at Steve almost defiantly. "I've been busy. It's not like I can leave the Tower to go shopping without… i_him/i_."

Steve shook his head.

_iHim/i_. Steve knew that Tony was talking about the man who had been assigned to guard Tony whenever he left the Tower or was without a superhero escort. Steve knew Tony didn't exactly get along with him. He also knew that the only reason Tony kept him around was to appease Steve's concerns that everything that protected Tony seemed to be electronic.

"He has a name. And he's highly decorated Tony, he'll keep you safe."

"Oh yes, I feel very safe in iB_ucky's/i_ care." Tony all but rolled his eyes, though Steve could tell that he was thankful Steve had dropped the whole i_he had stolen his shirt/i_ thing. He'd been doing that more and more lately. "When you said bodyguard, I'd been hoping for a leggy blonde."

Steve shook his head. "That sounds too much like your type." He wrapped his arms around Tony possessively. "I might get jealous."

Tony rocked back on his feet. "Absolutely no need." Then he smiled. "Everyone's my type." Steve's face dropped and he nudged Tony's shoulder slightly, causing Tony to smirk for a moment.

Then Tony sighed, leaning into Steve for support.

"So… Friday." Tony said. And if Steve didn't know Tony like he did, he wouldn't have been able to catch the tint of fear coating the man's brief statement.

Friday was when they were telling the Avengers about everything. Just under a week to go… They had already invited everyone to the dinner, and Jarvis was the happiest and the busiest that Steve had seen the man in years.

Tony had been regarding things with an anxious apprehension, though Steve knew the second it came time for Tony to actually utter the words there would be nothing but unadulterated joy coming from his lips.

Steve couldn't wait.

He'd been patient in not telling anyone and was looking forward to finally discussing things openly with his friends. He was still uneasy about the i_entire world/i_ knowing, but Tony had assured him that he'd do it diplomatically and carefully.

Steve wouldn't be so troubled if the Illanians weren't already after their child. And they still didn't know why. Leads concerning their current location had all but dried up, and Steve was having trouble getting past Osborn to interview an Illanian himself.

He'd feel much better when the rest of the Avengers finally knew.

"A lot of good things happen on Fridays." Steve responded. Tony still felt tense. "Tell me." Tony said, his voice small.

"Well," Steve separated himself from Tony and went to go grab their towels and water bottles. "I proposed to you on a Friday."

"Hmm. That's a big one." Tony conceded as they walked together toward the gym doors. Steve nodded in agreement. "Which also means I found out about the baby on a Friday."

"Okay you win. Fridays are good." Tony smirked and continued after Steve toward the elevator.

When they finally reached the doors, he leaned against the back wall of the lift. He rotated his left shoulder tenderly. "Are you going down to the garage with me or am I dropping you off at the top first?" He asked.

Steve pressed the button for Tony Stark's penthouse in response. "I'm going up top. I have to meet with the contractors and get the baby's room added in correctly." Steve stared at the display monitoring what floor they were currently on. "I don't think they realize how much this "i_rec room/i_" means to me."

Tony nodded in mock vehemence. "You be sure to set them straight."

Steve looked over at him and ignored his sarcastic tone. "What color should they paint it?"

Tony regarded him thoughtfully before he broke out in another smile. "Well, I always thought red and gold were gender neutral so--"

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish. I was going to say—"

"No."

Tony raised his hands in surrender. "Alright. Listen. You're the artist right? So surprise me. Decorate it however you like." He stated, genuinely. "I know it'll be perfect."

Steve's grin could have brightened up an entire city. Paint his child's room? Paint his child's room any way he wanted to… he hadn't even realized how wonderful that sounded until Tony had stated the idea aloud.

Tony laughed at Steve's response. "Apparently i_that/i_ was the right thing to say."

"That's…" Steve's smile widened even further, if that was possible. "You're a genius."

"Well, yeah I know that but--"

The elevator doors opened with a ding and Steve kissed Tony tenderly on the lips, both hands going to Tony's stomach. He dashed through the doors before they closed and winked, leaving Tony with a slightly bemused expression on his face.

As the elevator started down on its journey to the bottom of the Tower, Steve looked around at the pent house. It was only in slight disarray, as compared to last week when it had looked like a tornado had not only shown up, but had decided to move in.

The baby's room, their future child's room was almost completely finished. Finished as in there were now four walls and a door, along with a window viewing the cityscape but… it was a start.

The other Avengers, when they'd asked what all the noise going on upstairs was, weren't exactly sure why Tony Stark needed a private rec room, but they'd find out soon enough, and now… now Steve got to decorate the rest of it.

And as he'd been so merciless against Tony's red and gold suggestion, he guessed he'd have to make a promise to himself that there wouldn't be too much of a red, white, and blue influence.

Though if some snuck in there, it would simply be because that was what best fit the layout of the room…

---------------------------------------

"Just hold still." Jan told Peter again as she rotated around him in an effort to further streamline the pattern she was attempting to achieve.

"You have pins." Peter countered, still fidgeting.

"Which I have yet to stick you with. So I have no idea why you're nervous." She pulled at a handful of fabric and Peter shied away from her touch.

"Peter!" Jan dropped her hands to her sides in a slightly dramatic fashion. "Why can't you be more like Clint!" She jutted her hand out in the other man's direction.

Peter immediately stilled, a slight scowl on his face. Clint, who was on the measuring stand right next to Peter, chuckled softly. Jan could see the smug look on his face from multiple angles in the mirrors that surrounded them.

"Why is he even here?" Peter retorted, considerably calmer then he had been as Jan continued to measure and mark her design. "It's not like i_his/i_ wife sold his soul to a seamstress."

"Well," Clint spoke up, remaining perfectly still in what Jan knew to be an attempt to show off. "when I heard from Mary Jane that you were doing this, I thought to myself, 'self, how often will you get to see the face Peter Parker's gonna make when you look ten times better then he does in a suit for i_his/i_ dressing line?' and I figured it outweighed any embarrassment on my part. If I'd known you'd be fidgety too, I would have brought my camera."

"You're here, Clint," Jan countered, walking over to him. "because you have almost the same build as Peter and this way I can work on two designs at once." Jan smiled at him coolly and Clint raised his eyebrows in surrender.

"I'd take better pictures of myself then you could of me." Peter muttered murkily.

"What was that?" Clint asked, turning his head to look at Pete.

Peter smiled sweetly, looking to Jan. "When do you think you'll be finished with them?" Peter asked. Then he bent slightly to the right to see the suit from behind in the mirror.

"Stop moving." Jan said, without taking her eyes off Clint. "Not sure. Why?"

"No reason." Peter said, quietly. His tone prompted Jan to look over. There was apprehension smeared across his face.

"Why, Peter?"

"Just because of the dinner on Friday." Peter rendered. "I mean, I have a suit… it just seems like this is kind of a big deal and I don't want to be underdressed, and like I said, I have a suit but, this seems to be important to Tony, and to Steve for that matter, and so I was--"

"I'm sorry Pete." Jan interrupted him before he ran out of breath. "It won't be finished by then, but I'll be sure to find you something to wear okay?"

"Oh," Peter exclaimed. "You don't have to do that."

"Don't worry about it," Jan said, turning back to Clint. "I already have your measurements and a few people owe me favors." She smiled, moving a few pins into the cushion on her wristband and shifting some material along Clint's hemline. "Just don't get any stains on it."

"Okay. Thanks." Jan could see Peter smiling as she looked at his reflection in one of the mirrors. Then his face grew serious again. "So, do you guys know what this Friday dinner thing is about?" The inflection in his voice almost had Jan wondering if Peter knew something and wasn't telling.

"We'll just have to wait and see." She sidestepped his question, though curiosity got the better of her and she followed up with: "Why, do you?"

Their eyes met in the reflection of the glass.

Peter began fidgeting again and dropped his gaze. "Nope."

"We'll find out soon enough." Clint said smoothly, joining in on the conversation. "I'm not worried about it."

Jan looked up at Clint. His features were stoic and he was avoiding her gaze, looking straight into the mirror.

"Well, maybe it's good news!" Peter's voice filled the design studio, reverberating off the walls. "Maybe they want to make a big deal about it!" He ended.

Clint scoffed slightly. "Good news? This is Tony." Clint stated dourly, tucking his chin in toward his chest. "He's like a bad news bear. Misery follows him around as a personal escort."

"No that would be James." Peter quipped. "Though I can understand where you might get the two confused."

Clint laughed despite himself. "This is true." Clint turned his head to look at Peter. Jan didn't tell him not to move. "He's… unnecessarily intense at times."

"Yep." Peter agreed. "Cap knows that they don't get along very well, right?"

"One would think..." Clint said, pointedly. "What does Tony need with a bodyguard anyway? Unless it has to do with the fact that Extremis doesn't seem to be working anymore… and Tony hasn't been in the armor for months."

"Yeah." Peter agreed, a somewhat confused expression on his face. "And… well, we still don't know why the Illanians attacked him."

"If they were attacking him… they could have been after the Fantasti-kids."

The mood in the room had seemed to have dropped.

Jan paused in her designs to look at the two men in turn.

"Maybe it i_is/i _good news." Jan exclaimed, perkily. "Friday, I mean." She tacked on, more discretely.

"Hmm," Clint responded. "Let's hope so. For James' sake. I really don't feel like dealing with him when an actual crisis comes up."

Jan only half listened to the conversation from that point on, going back to working on perfecting her design layout. She was just glad that Friday was only five days away.

The whole "i_Tony's secret/i_" issue was more tiring then it should be. She'd been actively trying to keep the rumor mill at bay. The other Avengers had theories that would make the notion that "Tony Stark is pregnant" seem tame. Especially since the Illanians had taken such interest in him.

Tony himself wasn't helping matters. He was acting differently and beginning to show. He flitted about in his happy dream land of designing kid tech and decorating the "rec room" with Steve by his side, while she kept the Avengers from thinking that Extremis was eating his brain.

The bright spot in all of this was getting to talk to Hank about everything. Once she'd been able to realize why she couldn't open up with him, and had been so apprehensive about the baby, it was as though something grand had clicked into place, and being around Hank, being with Hank, was so much more comfortable now. It wasn't perfect, but nothing was perfect.

Jan knew that.

She also knew that she loved Hank… And she always would.

Nevertheless, Jan was very much looking forward to Friday. After Friday the Avengers could collectively obsess about something a little more dire, and they could all happily go mad together.

As a family.

Like it should be.

_iSo there_./i

-------------------

Chapter 5.1- Part B

Tony took in a deep breath and stretched. Sighing audibly, he lowered his arms and continued to write a few more things down on the schematics pad in front of him.

It was seven-thirty and he'd been working ever since Steve had released him in the wee hours of the day from yoga duty. It wouldn't be so bad if Steve wasn't such a damned i_morning/i_ person.

He'd trick Tony into waking up with that cheerful happy voice of his and then be so excited about the day that Tony felt guilty sleeping in any longer. Tony honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Steve would start doing cart-wheels across the room just because the sun had come up.

Though, Tony had to admit, he was actually beginning to appreciate the routine of it all. Exercise in the morning, Shield and Avengers planning and design in the afternoon, and business matters after that.

It wasn't that Tony had ever had trouble in the past in terms of getting everything done; it was just that he usually sacrificed sleep and skipped a few meals in order to do so. And he couldn't let that happen anymore.

Instead, most of Tony's spare time had been comprised of him remodeling his floor of Stark Tower into a place more suited for a family, than something resembling a bachelor pad. And now that that was all winding down, he'd turned his interests to another avenue along the same strain of thought.

Namely, making things for the baby. Mostly things to keep the kid safe…

What better way to do that then with some patented Stark technology? It was top of the line after all, and although he had the feeling that Steve wouldn't necessarily approve of a crib that gave an automatic audio/video feed to Extremis along with quarterly vital stats, and an alarm for emergencies or sudden unscheduled removals… Tony also knew that Steve used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes in the Army, so his common sense didn't pull as much weight as it once did.

Tony had some really promising ideas for the nursery too, but was again weary of what Steve might think… an anti-grav play pen was much better than a i_swing/i_, and he could program it to grow with the child.

A blanket that held within it a cybernetic comfort mesh that altered its composition and airflow based on the infants core temperature and anticipated changes during circadian cycles was completely reasonable.

_i Steve was such a traditionalist…/i_

Tony tossed the pen he'd been using down onto his desk and resisted the immediate urge to return it right back to its correct location in the top left drawer.

Tony eyed the pen wearily.

He'd been increasingly aware of this desire to have things neat and orderly as of late, and he kept trying to fight it. It helped to remind himself that he really did have more important things to do then alphabetize his toolkit and that he really did have people, who he paid famously, to clean up the really big messes for him.

As with other random things he couldn't explain about himself lately, Tony blamed it on the baby. Also Steve, sometimes he blamed Steve.

Though he was fairly certain it wasn't Steve's fault that his balance was going to hell. And it wasn't Steve's fault that his shoulder still hurt. It really hadn't stopped hurting since his run in with the Illanians. He hoped, healing factor disruption aside, it'd get better soon. It made sudden movements a bitch to deal with.

It made him feel better to know that his and Hank's work on inhibiting the altered signature, which Extremis had unknowingly been putting out, had proven fruitful. The only real problem he'd faced with the device was that Extremis had seemingly enjoyed scrambling the scrambler. But he'd fixed that (or it had stopped anyway), and if that was how the Illanians had been tracking him, it was now masked properly from them or anyone else who had been able to pick up on his signals.

One would think that that would be good enough for Steve, but he'd still insisted on Tony keeping his new bodyguard. But thankfully it was only whenever he took an extended leave from the Tower, or Steve had to go on a minor Shield mission and leave Tony behind.

Tony was fairly certain that James was about as unhappy with the arrangement as he was, though he put on a diplomatic face whenever Steve was in the room. iBucky/i was a part of Steve's family, and Tony tried his best to work with the man. It seemed as though James had similar goals.

And unfortunate as it was, Tony was almost certain that his and James' would be a long and drawn out relationship, considering they would soon be telling the public about the baby. He'd already asked Pepper to get the preliminary records in order for his "coming out," just to make sure that the stock holders wouldn't have heart palpitations (or any legal way to cause him grief), and so they could control any concerns or tribulations from the press.

He'd called her and asked for her to come and see him as soon as possible. She said she'd see after the weekend.

He wasn't sure why he still hadn't told her about the baby. And she was beginning to get annoyed at his evasiveness. i_Why do you need those papers Tony? Why do you need it ASAP Tony? Why are you ignoring me… again, Tony?/i_

She hadn't exactly worded things that way, she was too much of a professional for that, but Tony knew her. And he knew that he i_wanted/i_ to tell her the next time he saw her. He'd told Rhodey… he would have told Happy… he wanted to tell Pepper now, dinner party aside.

Tony resisted the urge to hit his head against his desk.

This dinner party…

He was apprehensive about it sure, but for more reasons then he'd like to admit. Steve had asked him why it was so important to him that he have it be such an event. Tony had responded that that was just how the Stark family handled things.

That was mostly it. If Tony was being truly honest, it was because he was only getting married once. And he was sure as hell only having a kid once, so if he hadn't had a party to commemorate the occasions, his mother would have never forgiven him.

It was as simple as that.

Maria Stark had always wanted a grandchild, Tony knew. He'd gotten engaged to the first pretty face who'd given him the time of day a little over a year after his mother had passed away in some flippant attempt to honor her wishes.

That had been back before he'd realized how… i_complicated/i_ life could be when you actually opened your eyes wide enough to see past how impressive your car collection was.

So the dinner was important, if only for the fact that his mother would have cried happily throughout the entire thing.

Tony was vaguely aware of the small smile that had eased its way onto his features. He pulled himself out of his thoughts and picked up the pen he'd left on his desk. He moved to make a note to ask Jarvis about what caterer they'd picked for the dinner, when he stopped himself.

_iThat was another thing./i _

Tony wasn't sure if it was the fact that he'd gotten so used to using Extremis and now it was suddenly inaccessible, but he'd been kind of forgetful lately. After a few times of opening his mouth to speak to find that he couldn't remember what he'd wanted to say, he'd made a point to write down things he was curious about, the second they came to him, just in case.

He made the note.

Tony put the pen away inside the drawer and stood from his desk, ready to leave for the day. He grabbed his jacket, put the note in his pocket and closed the door behind him.

--------------------

Once the elevator doors opened, Tony wandered through the Avengers' floor on his way to Hank's room. He had a few ideas he wanted to bounce off the other man.

Tony stopped short when Luke Cage and his wife rounded the corner from the dining room and made a beeline toward the elevators he'd just left.

"Fire?" Tony asked. Jessica smiled back at him as the elevator doors dinged back to life.

"She's asleep." Jessica flashed a bright smile. "We're making a run for it."

Tony nodded, noticing that she was dressed to the nines and chomping at the bit, ready to leave. "Danielle?" Tony asked, trying to clarify.

"Yes." Luke answered, ushering his wife into the lift. "We'll be back." He said, as the elevator doors began to close.

"Have fun." Tony said to the closed doors. He spun on his heel to see Cassie walking out of the dining room. In her hands was a baby monitor.

"Cassie."

"Oh, Uncle Tony!" She replied graciously, looking up at him. She ran over and he hugged her gently.

"So you're here to keep an eye on Danielle?" Tony asked, making conversation.

She nodded, lifting up the baby monitor for him to see.

"Don't you have homework?" Tony queried. "How late can you stay up?"

Cassie shot him a look. "It's only eight, Tony." She responded. "And I'm not five anymore. I think I'll be okay. Plus, it's Saturday."

"Right." Tony smiled.

"Danni usually sleeps pretty well." Cassie continued. "Though sometimes she can tell that her parents are going out, and wakes up just to give the babysitter some spite."

Tony smirked. "Well, it's good they could find someone they trust to look after her." He said, softly.

"Well, I was probably just in the right place at the right time." Cassie countered, looking the baby monitor over in her hands. "Anyways, I'm hungry." She added, brightly. "I wouldn't be a good babysitter if I didn't raid the fridge, right?"

Tony tilted his head. "That's my fridge, you know." He retorted, finding himself following Cassie over into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I know."

Tony sat down at the counter next to where Cassie had set the baby monitor, while she opened the fridge door and rooted around for a bit before coming back out empty handed. "Why is everything so healthy in here?" She jabbed.

"Captain America?" Tony offered. Cassie nodded her amusement. Then she looked over to where Tony sat.

"I'm sorry Tony, I… can I help you with anything?" She sounded a little puzzled.

Tony stared at her for a second before realizing that it must seem odd for i_Tony Stark/i_ to be following her around when he was usually too busy to see her even when she set up an appointment weeks in advance.

Then he smiled, considering her statement. "Yes." He answered.

Cassie looked at him keenly.

"You can let me help you baby-sit."

"Huh?" Cassie looked at him skeptically. Then she looked around the room. Finding nothing unordinary she then she narrowed her gaze at Tony. "Teddy? Are you messing with me?"

Tony lifted his head in amusement. "Trust me. Not Teddy."

Cassie just looked at him doubtfully.

"I'll walk through a Skrull detector if you want." Tony offered.

"Um, n-no. That's okay Uncle Tony." Cassie looked around the kitchen again, and then gestured toward the baby monitor that she'd left on the countertop. "There's not really much to do unless she wakes up." Cassie admitted.

Tony considered the baby monitor. He looked at it expectantly. "I had… an interesting time trying to look after the Fantastic Four kids, but I'm just going to take into account that their lives are at an unusually high risk of being in danger. I'm going to try and see if it's just me, or if I can get through a night of looking after a kid where it doesn't turn into a trip to the hospital." He said, somberly.

Cassie stared at him in disbelief. "So… you're using me and Danni as guinea pigs? Thanks a lot."

Tony smirked before responding. "They don't exactly have a book on these kinds of things. So anything you want to tell me about… baby-sitting, I'd love to know."

Cassie pursed her lips. "Actually, I'm pretty sure they i_do/i_ have a book on this. Lots of books." She said, folding her arms across her chest.

She reminded Tony of her father.

"See." Tony countered. "I'm learning already."

-------------


	15. Chapter 5b Elephants

"When I said you could decorate the baby's room, I didn't think that meant you wouldn't let me in it." Tony shouted from the other side of the very closed and very locked bedroom door of their future child.

"Just a minute." Tony heard Steve's muffled reply. Tony rested his head back against the wall near the door and shut his eyes. Steve had been in the baby's room for hours. The man had holed up in there with an adamancy rarely seen outside Tony refusing to leave the garage. Tony laughed to himself, trying to envision what Steve was turning their child's room into.

"What do you think, kid?" Tony asked of the baby. "You want it to be like the old man's armor don't you?"

Tony heard Steve scoff, obviously having heard his comment. Tony frowned. "Technology-wise." Tony said loudly. "Not color scheme… why does everyone think I'm obsessed with red and gold?"

"Helicarrier." Was Steve's blunt response from behind the plaster walls.

"I've had the suit be other colors." Tony continued quietly, ignoring the other man. Tony looked down. "Doesn't really matter though, you're going to be spoiled either way."

"Will not." Steve replied, the bedroom door suddenly open. Steve slipped out of the room before Tony had a chance to look inside.

Tony looked Cap over. Various colors of paint were on Steve's shirt, his face, all over his hands. "Did you get--"

"Any on the walls?" Steve interrupted him. "I'm not sure." He admitted, looking at himself, a sheepish smile on his face.

Tony made himself smile back, not wanting Steve to figure out how uncomfortable he felt about the prospect of Steve getting paint all over the penthouse.

He squashed down his new found anal-retentiveness and looked at Steve more carefully. "So… alright. That color," Tony started, pointing to a splotch of pale yellow on Steve's hand. "Matches a blanket I was thinking about buying."

Steve lifted his hand to look at the color more closely.

"And that," Tony pointed to a shade of blue on Cap's white shirt. "Can I work off of that?"

Steve looked at both colors before his face creased in contemplation.

"No." He said, truthfully.

Annoyance tightened Tony's features. "Then… can I see what it looks like in there?" He asked, as silkily as possible.

Steve eyed the door. "No." He repeated. "Not yet!" Steve added quickly when Tony opened his mouth to complain. "Soon, Tony." Steve smiled, putting his hands on Tony's shoulders.

Tony cringed inwardly at the paint he knew Steve was getting on his clothes, but shrugged it off and met Steve's attentive blue eyes. "Fine." Tony sighed resignedly. "As long as we add the tech."

"For protection," Tony added just as quickly as Steve had before, as it was Steve's turn to try and protest.

"And because it's state of the art?" Steve offered.

Tony nodded. "Our child will be the envy of every other baby on the block." He emphasized.

"But won't be spoiled." Steve shot back, his voice was light but his eyes were serious.

Tony paused to look at Steve with great consideration. The part of Steve that yelled for the most attention was the stripe of blue paint across his forehead. It was as though Steve had wiped his brow and all of his hard work was splayed in acrylics right there for Tony to see.

Nothing like a metaphor for how hard Steve worked flaunting itself in all its azure glory to get him to answer Steve in a certain way… Nothing had ever just been given to Steve. Nothing had been easy for him.

"Kid'll have to get a job at Burger King when they turn 16, huh?" Tony stated flippantly.

Steve smiled. "And volunteer at a soup kitchen." He added.

Tony rubbed his goatee in thought. "Well, as long as they don't have to intern with the Fantastic Four."

Steve shook his head in agreement. "I'm sure we'll want our child to stay alive."

"So that they can paint the next Mona Lisa?" Tony suggested, as he looked his shirt over for paint.

Steve made a thoughtful sound and leaned against their child's door. "And create a whole new computer language."

"Join the Army?" Tony said. Steve laughed a melancholy sound.

"Be a superhero." Tony continued. Then his smile disappeared. "They probably won't be interested in any of those things."

"Good." Steve said, sincerely. "We need to learn new hobbies."

"Or remember old ones." Tony replied softly. He closed his eyes for a second before clapping his hands together. "We need a library."

"A library?" Steve repeated, pushing himself off of the door and holding Tony in an apprehensive gaze.

"We had one in the Mansion, and since we aren't moving out of the Tower after the baby is born, we need one here." Tony stated reasonably.

"We also need a backyard." He added. Steve simply stared at him as though his eyes were stuck that way.

"Backyard?" He managed.

"Yeah, remind me to get the landscapers scheduled to take a look at the roof next week." Tony said, moving toward the large set of windows down at the far end of the room.

"The roof?" Steve asked, following Tony.

Tony smiled. "Where else are we going to put it?"

"Right." Steve's voice was apprehensive but he joined Tony in staring out the large set of head to toe windows in the penthouse. New York City's metal, glass, and concrete skyscrapers could be seen out past the Tower's large helicopter pad.

"Steve?" Tony asked, after a while.

"Yes?" Steve answered, his head at an angle, as though he were still trying to imagine a backyard on the rooftop.

"How about ducks?" Tony asked, still looking forward.

"What?" Steve looked over at Tony's profile.

"As a theme for the baby's things. Would that match your painting?"

"Oh," Steve responded, looking forward again. "No." He responded.

Silence stretched between them.

"Steve?" Tony asked, his eyes still on New York.

"Yes?"

"Sometimes, you drive me crazy."

Tony could see Steve smile in his peripheral.

"Tony?" Steve asked, trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Yeah?"

"Ditto."

Virginia "Pepper" Potts-Hogan's heels clacked against the ground as she rounded another corner in Stark Tower.

Pepper steeled her gaze as she walked decisively past the other cubicles surrounding Tony Stark's office. She paused only slightly to smile and nod at Mrs. Arbogast before pushing open Tony's door.

There was a pregnant pause as he simply stared at her, and then finally down at the clock on his desk.

She composed herself concerning the fact that he was wearing an old gym shirt and waved a hand at him dismissively as he rose to greet her, an impossibly huge smile now etched upon his face.

"What's this all about, Tony?" She asked him succinctly.

_She could at least pretend to be upset with him for a little bit._

He eyed her for a second; the look on his face was a debate on whether or not he should just cut to the chance.

"Did you find it?" He asked, bluntly.

_Good boy._

"Of course I did. It wasn't on electronic file anymore since the tech liquefaction, so I had to go down to the warehouse and hunt for it. But I found it." She replied.

"That's why you're my girl." Tony grinned again, placing both hands on the desk in front of him. "What's it say?"

Pepper blinked, once again finding herself stuck on how Tony looked. "Nuh-uh." She responded, instead. "Not until you tell me why you need it. And why you've been ignoring me for the past month."

"I haven't been ignoring you… I just know how busy you've been." Tony responded appreciatively. He gave her a patented Tony smile, one that was guaranteed to melt the hearts of most life forms.

Pepper frowned.

"Nothing good ever happens when you push me away, Tony Stark. When I went to California… that was needed, and I appreciated the space. But I've been back in New York for a while. And you... you've been _emailing_ me." She said the word with distain, and looked at him expectantly.

Tony sighed. "You're here now, right? I'm talking to you."

Pepper bit her tongue before continuing. "Steve Rogers tells me that you're getting married, _we_ have one conversation about it _over the phone_ and then, nothing. Invisa-Tony. I try to call you and I get emailed in return. Finally, you talk to me directly and it's for your head of the company contract, which isn't up for negotiation for another four years by the way and… you've been making me worry about you. _I don't like it when that happens._" Pepper tacked on quietly.

Tony looked down at his desk. He looked a little disheveled, among other things. _Was that paint on his shirt?_ She really didn't want to add to anything he had going on, but she knew from past experience that to leave Tony Stark to his own devices for too long wasn't the way to go about things. If she didn't trust Steve Rogers more, she'd have come and knocked on Tony's door herself a while ago.

It was nice to be invited in, though.

"Alright," Tony said, smiling again. "I'd say I'm sorry but, that's not good enough. And I know you're invited to this party on Friday but I'm almost positive you'd kill me if you found out that way so-- " Suddenly Tony stopped and looked off toward the ceiling. "What did the contract say, anyway?" He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

Pepper sat down on the chair closest to Tony's desk and held on tighter to the bag that held the paperwork she had worked hard to obtain. She eyed him warily. "You used to be so good at subtlety." She admonished. She put her bag into the seat next to her.

He flashed her a subtle grin, and took a seat at his desk.

She smiled at him in return; a false, sweet smile. "There's an elephant in the room but I can't put a name to it. Why don't you just tell me what we're not allowed to talk about, so I know what to avoid."

Tony laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "What ever could you mean?" Then he put a hand to his stomach. "Unless you're talking about me."

Pepper sighed and crossed her arms.

Far be it for her to judge someone if they put on a little comfort weight but Tony, as annoying as it was, had never had that issue before. She hadn't even considered saying anything.

"What's going on with you?" She asked, tiredly.

"Do you think I should cut down on carbs?" Tony asked nonchalantly, scratching his goatee.

"The contract is gender neutral." Pepper finally admitted to him. "You wanted to know if it has any specifics for men or women and never once does it differentiate between the two."

"Not even concerning childcare leave?"

Pepper glared at him. "Not even that. I looked it over! I may not be a secretary anymore, but I remember how to be one. I'm nothing if not thorough."

Tony visibly relaxed and took a deep breath. "That's great."

"Why is that great?" Pepper asked him, not sure if she could take much more of this. "What did you need to know that for?"

Tony shook his head. "I just don't want the board to have any more legal ammunition then they already have when I tell them. I'm just being paranoid."

"Yeah, okay." Pepper nodded enthusiastically. "Tell them what? You really need to stop skirting around this thing or I'm gonna start throwing things." She smiled.

Tony eyed her for a second, leaning back in his chair, drumming his fingers across his stomach. "So do you think I should wear white or black at my wedding?"

_White? Was he serious?_

"Your wedding." Pepper said, aloud. "You haven't even picked a date for it."

Tony looked back up at the ceiling. "Well, I don't know how long it'll take me to lose the weight." He stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Pepper paused, trying to process that. "What are you talking about?" She finally said. "You've… gained maybe ten pounds." She added awkwardly.

"Twelve."

_"Really?"_

Tony nodded.

"Well… you wear it well." Pepper offered.

"Thanks." Tony grinned at her and put a hand to his stomach again, like he was proud of the little belly he was putting on.

Pepper just stared at him for a second. "You're confusing the hell out of me." She admitted, twirling some strawberry blonde hair behind her ear.

Tony looked over at her. "Sorry… I'm just… the words won't leave my mouth and I'm doing this playful banter thing I do so well with you. It's comforting."

Pepper thought about that for a moment. "It's okay." She replied, glad that the games were coming to an end. _Why couldn't he just say things like a normal person?_

He smiled at her gratefully. "Alright. I want to tell you before anyone else finds out. We're telling everyone on Friday, so I'm sorry for cutting it so close."

"It's okay." Pepper repeated, waiting for Tony to finally tell her what was going on.

Pepper waited.

And waited.

She rolled her eyes. "Well?"

Tony scrunched his face apprehensively. "Could you guess it?"

Pepper dropped her shoulders and stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"We could play twenty questions." Tony suggested.

"Tony!"

"Okay." Tony raised his hands "Sorry. Okay…" He smiled at her again. "I'm prefacing it by telling you that I'm not evil. That seems to be the biggest concern after people find out. I'm fine. Not evil." He repeated.

Pepper didn't even bother trying to decipher that one. "Just tell me, then. What's going on?"

Tony leaned forward in this chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Pepper… I'm gonna have a kid."

The look on Pepper's face went blank for a split second before she smiled wide. "Oh Tony! Congratulations!" She clutched her hands together.

Tony looked slightly taken aback.

"I wasn't sure how you'd take it since…" He trailed off.

Pepper's smile faded. It wasn't something that she thought of every day, but her own misfortune concerning pregnancy was something that could never truly go away.

But her grin quickly returned. "Oh Tony. No. Don't ever think like that." She paused. "Adopting a child is the most amazing thing in the world." She thought of her two children waiting for her in aftercare. "You have no idea what you're in for!" She stated, honestly.

Tony laughed in what Pepper knew to be a nervous response.

"What?" She asked him, hesitantly. She'd obviously missed something.

"It's just that we're not adopting." Tony said quietly, his eyes practically begging her to comprehend what he wasn't saying.

"Oh." Pepper considered. "OH…" She exclaimed. _Tony had gotten someone pregnant._ Had he cheated on Steve? Or had this happened before they had gotten together?

"Oh Tony…" She collected herself. "Who's else is it?"

"Steve's." Tony stated automatically.

Pepper blinked, then her heart leaped in her chest.

_Wait…. Steve had been with someone else?_

"Who is she?" Pepper asked before she thought that maybe Tony wouldn't want to talk about _her_. Pepper bit her tongue. If he was staying with Steve then he probably just wanted to focus on his and the other man's relationship.

"What?" Tony had a puzzled expression on his face. Then he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh. No. That's not what I meant. Wait." He put his hands out in front of him.

"Let's back up." He rested his forehead in his hand for a second before straightening in his chair. "Okay. What I meant to say, is that I'm having a child Pepper. Me." His hand fell to his stomach, his extra twelve pounds having all accumulated there, now that Pepper thought about it.

Everything was quiet for a while.

The next sound that Pepper recognized was laughter reverberating throughout the room. It took her a second to realize that she was the one who was laughing. She clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, Tony." She tried not to laugh again.

Tony had sat back in his chair. His arms were crossed and she recognized his expression as his "trying to look executive" face. "Not exactly the response I was expecting." He admitted.

Pepper shook her head, her hand still tight against her mouth. "No Tony it's…" She took a breath to calm down. "That's just amazing. If it were going to happen to anyone--" She laughed again slightly and tried to make it sound like a cough.

Tony continued to glare at her.

"Well, you have to admit," Pepper said, composing herself. "it just seems kind of karmic. You practically wrote New York's little black book."

"I threw that away." Tony corrected. "And I'm firing you, by the way." He still wore a frown. "And don't say you _can't fire me it's not Monday_ because--"

"It is Monday." Pepper offered.

Tony sighed.

"But you can't fire me regardless." Pepper cooed. "How else are you going to drum up what to say at the press conference in which Tony Stark reveals he's with child?"

Tony's gaze narrowed at Pepper. "Don't you even want to know _oh my god how is this possible?_ Or if I'm okay? Anything?"

"Oh I'm sure it's fascinating. And you already told me you were okay." Pepper waved her hand. "You're not evil. So if you'd like to get to work on this? I know you didn't have me dredge up this contract so we could laugh over the font it's typed in."

Tony looked upon Pepper in pure awe.

He decided to just shake off his shock and keep going. "Well, I have that company retreat at the end of the month and since everyone is there and trapped with me, I was thinking about telling them then. That way we can control the amount of coverage to the press at first."

"Alright." Pepper agreed. "That's a good start."

She reached into her bag and turned on her tablet computer to help in taking notes.

------------------------

Peter spun sideways, narrowly avoiding clipping a pillar of cement to his right. He stretched out long and shot off some webbing at a tree nearest to him. He flew to it, clinging tight.

As the metal droid that was following him attempted to round the corner to catch up to his movements, Peter webbed the sensor he'd identified as its "eyes" to the world, and watched as it hobbled about in the air, whirring angrily.

Peter reached out his hand and pressed a red button on the top of the device, turning the bee-like droid off. He caught it in his hand before it could fall to the ground, and set it down almost gently.

"Thanks, Pete." Peter heard Hank say over the radio in his ear.

"No worries." Peter responded quickly, as he jumped out of the way of three more droids barreling toward him.

Deep into their weekly Avengers training session, the available members of the team had all taken up camp in a secluded spot off the back lot of one of Tony's superfluous warehouses.

Peter wasn't sure why Tony had so many of those…

But this one had been pretty extensively damaged during some battle against someone who hated Tony (Peter had a difficult time keeping track), and he hadn't reopened it. The back lot was full of the half demolished framework of a corporate building, as well as stone and dirt piles in seemingly random places. Plant life was currently struggling to overtake the entire location.

He, Clint, Luke, and Carol had all been able to make it. Hank was observing and Jan was being managerial. They were both over in an observation room that sort of reminded Peter of an old army bunker. It was attached to the abandoned warehouse.

Peter managed to make it up into another tree just as an arrow flew past him and hit a droid at his six. The machine fell unceremoniously to the floor and Hawkeye strolled over to it. He picked it up by his arrow and with his bow whacked it on the red button to shut it off.

"Clint." Peter could hear Hank's voice over the radio. "Could you please stop using real arrows? We have to fix all the ones you break."

"Sure," Clint responded, ripping his arrow from the chest of the insect-like droid. "I'll just aim my bow at it and say _head shot_."

"Tony made you simulation-arrows." Hank responded.

Clint made a snorting sound and let another real arrow fly. Peter saw a different droid slam into a tree and stick. "Don't think so."

"Yeah, these things kind of fall apart Hank." Luke Cage said, as he came away from a pile of rubber tires, smashed machinery at his feet.

"To you!" Hank said, reproachfully from his spot in the observation room. "That's why you fight the bigger ones with Carol." He stated, slightly distressed.

"But _these_ come after me! What am I supposed to do?" Luke paused, as another pair of droids whirred near him. "They look like bugs."

"So that makes you want to squash them?" Hank asked, sounding confused.

"Yes." Carol answered for Luke as she flew past where Peter was hanging from the tree, a swarm of the insectoid droids following her. "They keep getting in my hair." She complained.

"We'll work on their intuition programming." Jan's voice sounded in Peter's ear.

Peter was glad that Jan was there with Hank today. She'd had some really helpful suggestions in teamwork for him. Peter tended to work off of instinct and doing so in a group could, at times, be detrimental. Cap was great for advice too, obviously, but he had a different style.

Peter stopped to wonder where Cap was anyway…

He'd seemed really busy lately. Maybe it was about Friday.

Carol murmured a reply and Peter went back to looking for a way to get the 'civilians' to safety. The civilians in this case were a couple of crash test dummies with Starbucks gift certificates pinned to them.

Peter decided he could really use some hot chocolate and maybe a cookie. Starbucks had great cookies. So getting to the crash test dummies first was a high priority at this point. Not to mention he may or may not have bet Clint that he could down more bug droids than the archer could.

_If only he had an axe…_

The civilians were trapped behind a gate which was guarded by the two larger androids that Hank had told Carol and Luke to go after. The set up wasn't complicated by any means. This week's lesson was in teamwork and Hank had promised that he'd done his best, or worst Peter supposed, to ensure that the civilians couldn't be saved unless the team worked together.

That usually equaled the use of distractions.

Peter just hoped he didn't have to be the decoy again.

He'd be happy when Logan got back from his month-long trip to Japan at the end of the week. Logan made a great decoy. And was decidedly more indestructible then Peter…

Peter heard Jan suggest something to Carol, but ignored it in favor of thwiping a few droids that were headed to the back of Clint's head. Clint turned just in time to bat the one that Peter hadn't managed to web, out of the way. He paused to look at Peter for a second before raising his bow and shooting an arrow in Peter's direction.

Peter froze on the spot, ignoring the alarm of his pre-cognitive spider sense (_like he needed that when an arrow was coming at his face_), as the arrow whizzed by, an inch from his ear, and hit another droid.

Peter glared at Clint, hoping the true extent of his disapproval showed through the mask. Clint shrugged at him. "Just returning the favor." He preened.

"My webbing doesn't kill people." Peter spouted, landing on the pavement near the other man.

Clint smirked at him, lowering his weapon. "Please, I wouldn't _kill_ you. I'd have to come in on Thursday with Cap and review the tapes of everything I did wrong if I killed you." He replied, nonchalantly. "I have a life."

Peter paused at that. "We're being taped?" He asked, looking along the outskirts of the back lot, scanning the site for cameras.

Clint just laughed. "Oh yeah," He said, jogging off in the opposite direction of the civilians. "We get taped. We watch tapes. We learn. Luke and I review the tapes all the time. Right Luke?"

"Huh?" Luke answered, distractedly. He and Carol had backed off the larger droids, and were looking it over for what Peter assumed to be weaknesses. "Yeah, sure whatever."

"Don't listen to him, Peter." The unexpected voice of Tony Stark sounded over the radio.

Peter spun his head toward the observation room, squinting at the building. Not that he could see who was inside of it through the little windows, but…

"Tony," Clint responded in a surprised tone. He'd hunched down to make his way over to Luke, as the larger man motioned to him hoping he'd keep the insect droids off of him and Carol so they could continue to investigate a way to free the civilians. Peter swung over to help as well. "Nice you could make it."

"Nice to see you're still destroying my machinery." Tony replied, smoothly. "We're in a down economy, you know."

"I'm only thinking of you," Clint huffed, over the radio. He'd ducked behind the remains of a cement wall, so Peter couldn't see him anymore. "Have to keep you busy fixing something since you aren't down here in the armor helping us."

It was meant as a jab, Peter could tell, but Tony laughed.

"He'll be back in action soon enough." Captain America said, in response.

"Oh, hey Cap." Clint said, the mocking tone knocked from his voice. "How long have you guys been here?"

Steve and Tony must have arrived together.

"A while." Cap continued. "Luke don't forget to use Spider-Man's wall crawling to your advantage. He can see things from a different vantage when Carol is busy. And Hawkeye… use the fake arrows." Cap's tone was calm and commanding.

It was funny how comforting that could be in stressful or emergency situations.

"Sounds like fun." Clint said acerbically, activating the arrow simulator they'd given him.

Luke nodded in turn, telling Peter to get to wherever he felt he could have the best vantage point over the situation. Peter was already slapping himself on the forehead for not thinking of doing that in the first place.

He moved to a better position just in time to see Hawkeye draw back his bow, aim and grumble resolutely as the droid he was aiming for sputtered and shut itself off.

All Peter could think was that it all seemed like a high tech version of laser tag.

He wasn't sure if Tony and Hank and all of their hard work would agree but, come on!

"Works okay." Clint faintly said. "Not that I can tell if it hit exactly where I wanted it to." Peter heard him mutter darkly, as he aimed for another target.

Peter saw a few droids that Carol hadn't spotted yet and aimed for the red buttons on their backs, pretending he _was_ in a laser tag game. His making the sound effects of a gun going off caught the attention of Luke however, and he looked up at Peter as the man was hanging off the wall above him.

"What?" Peter asked, innocently. Luke didn't say anything in return but Peter could hear him laugh.

Peter wall-crawled further away from Luke as the remaining droids that had been going after Carol switched their attention to him.

_See… he knew he'd end up being the decoy._

"You," Peter regarded the flying droid closest to him. "You're worth five points. But you," Peter pointed to another insect droid crawling along the side of the cement wall he was on. "you're only three."

Peter heard Luke laugh again after his proclamation and paused in his mental calculations of how many points he'd just downed.

"Really Pete? How much are the big ones worth?" Tony asked, a smile evident from his tone of voice as it crackled over the radio. Peter offered a shrug in response, though he was fairly certain that Tony couldn't see it from this distance. "Only one. They don't move. Not much of a target really."

That comment got a scoff out of a couple of people.

"Only Spidey..." Luke said, sighing as though he wouldn't ever quite get used to the way Peter's mind worked. Peter watched him as he sent another insect droid sputtering off into disarray.

"I know the look on my face almost resembles resentment, but really it's only frustration at, once again, not being fully appreciated." Peter retorted, pointing to his face.

Tony laughed. "That'd be more effective if you didn't have a--" Tony's voice paused for a second. "a mask on." He ended quietly.

"You okay?" Peter heard Jan ask over the radio. It was still on.

Everyone out on the field paused to look over at the observation room.

"Yeah." Tony said, brightly. "Fine. Sorry, I've been up for way too long. I just need to… hold on we'll be right back. Just try to--" The radio cut off before Peter could hear the rest of Tony's statement.

Peter narrowed his gaze in concern. "Tony, wha--?"

Peter didn't get a chance to finish his question as an insect droid buzzed near him and smacked him in the face. Peter fell backwards, unceremoniously disjoining from the wall he'd been perched upon.

As he sent a thread of web fluid back to the cement wall to reattach himself, an arrow buzzed by him and thwacked into the droid that had hit him. It fell to the ground.

"Pay attention." Clint said, but his eyes were not on Peter. He was looking over at the observation room.

"'Kay…" Peter responded, trying to get back to the task at hand.

A few seconds later Jan came back on the radio giving a few more suggestions to Carol, and to yell at Clint for using real arrows again. The unspoken question of everyone down in the clearing apparently wasn't going to be answered.

------------------

"Tony!" Steve had followed the other man out of the observation room and they both walked into the old warehouse.

"Tony, what is it?" His words echoed off the vastness of the room. Steve crossed his arms.

They'd only been able to obverse the Avengers in the training session for close to ten minutes before Tony had gotten this anxious look on his face.

Ten minutes after that and he was excusing both himself and Steve out of the room.

Of course Steve had followed him. He wasn't sure what Tony needed to tell him, but knew it had to be important.

But now that they were away from any other eyes and ears, Tony wouldn't say anything.

Tony finally stopped pacing and looked over at Steve. "I could have handled that better." He told his fiancé. "And I thought Pepper was just kidding when she said my subtlety broke up with me."

"They'll get over it." Steve said, motioning toward the observation room. "Just, what's going on?"

Steve could see Tony compose himself outwardly. And then he was smiling.

_Smiling?_

"I felt the same thing earlier today and I didn't think anything of it." Tony said, as though chiding himself. "But it happened again and it's… it's happening right now… and I figured out what it is."

Steve wanted to think that he was getting better at guessing the implications between Tony's words when he talked about things concerning the baby. Steve had noticed that Tony seemed to feel… _hindered_ in trying to express everything he was going through.

To someone with such a silvery way of expressing himself, Steve supposed that to get tongue tied must be a pretty infuriating experience.

"What is?" Steve asked curiously, still not following what Tony was trying to tell him.

"Well, I…" Tony began. Then he huffed out air and suddenly grabbed Steve's hand, bringing it to his abdomen. "Can you feel that?" He whispered, though no one was there to hear them. His voice was a mixture of expectation and excitement.

Steve's eyes darted back and forth. His fingers spread out on Tony's stomach, feeling the heat of his skin. He looked at Tony for a second, and then smiled calmly. "The baby's kicking?" He asked quietly, certain of the answer.

"Yes!" Tony said, placing his hand over Steve's. "Can you feel it?"

Steve's face still held the smile, Tony was so excited he almost felt like lying but he shook his head slightly, no.

Tony's hopeful expression washed away, his gaze fell.

"But I will soon!" Steve said, trying to match Tony's earlier excited tone. "Just a few more months, right?"

Tony shut his eyes. "Yeah." He agreed, solemnly.

"Wow, Tony." Steve grinned. "That's amazing. What does it feel like?"

Tony blinked in concentration.

Then the smile on his face returned.

"It's like… well it's not a kick, really. It's smaller then that. Earlier it was…" Tony started to make subtle motions with his hand. "like bubbles… or, well now it's like popcorn popping." Tony paused. "I could have handled that better though." He was looking back over to where the observation room sat behind the concrete wall of the warehouse and the door that led out to it.

Steve shook his head again and placed his arms around Tony's waist. "They'll be fine. I'm glad you told me." He informed Tony serenely.

Tony smirked and grabbed at Steve.

"We should get back in there." Tony said, his voice indicating no hurry to do so.

"Yeah," Steve agreed, still reveling in the concrete proof that he and Tony were going to have a child. He kissed Tony gently.

And then he kissed him again.

Neither of them made it any closer to the door.

---------------


	16. Chapter 5c Divide by Zero

5.3- Divide by Zero

"Why are you still hung up about my shoulder?" Tony whipped through a few more applications on his cell phone, ignoring Henry McCoy's frustrated gaze. "The kid's fine, so what does it matter if I'm not healing all that quickly?"

"Tony, you remember what I told you when all of this started? How the implication of Extremis ignoring you in favor of the baby could be a bad thing?"

"Could be bad. Yes, I remember." Tony recounted, still not looking at Beast. He wasn't really looking through his phone either, but his hands were itching for something to do. Tony knew what Beast was trying to get at, and he didn't want to hear it. "But, I'm fine. You said so a minute ago." It was true, Henry had just said that.

"I said, 'you were fine, _but_'…" Beast corrected, forcing the issue.

Okay, he'd _also_ said that. "_But_, maybe I'm not? Some doctor you are." Tony put his cell phone down and looked over at the other man, a smile painted across his face like a Cheshire cat.

"_But_, my concern," Henry continued. "is that we're not even into the third trimester and we're already seeing signs that--"

Tony laughed as a way to interrupt. "Hank, I was attacked. It was a fluke. It's not going to happen again." Tony's voice was strong, the sound of it bullied its way through the space between them.

He sat up from his position lying down on the med table. Beast, sitting in a chair next to him, continued to glare. "Trust me." Tony continued. "It won't happen. Not with the way I've set up security. Not since I have my own personal Winter Soldier."

Tony had left James in the front foyer of the X-Mansion. Tony figured the man could discover the best ways to protect him from the wallpaper, while Tony avoided him down in the basement. It wasn't that they didn't get along but, well, actually that was it exactly.

Henry didn't look swayed. His look raked at Tony, making him feel guilty. He pushed the emotion to the back of his mind. "Be that as it may, I think that you should take it easy."

"Sure. Just…" Tony took a breath and made himself stop chewing on his bottom lip. "You said the baby was fine." He reiterated quietly, a shimmer of hesitation in the words.

"Yes. The baby's fine." Beast admitted, swiveling closer in his chair to Tony's side.

"Well then, _everything's_ fine." He smiled at Beast, and then his face hardened. "More importantly," Tony stated, in a mock serious tone. "I've been having really random dreams lately. Like… kittens and puppies frolicking around. Rainbows. It's kind of disconcerting." Tony continued to look somber, as Beast glanced at him reproachfully and shook his head as though Tony were a somewhat annoying younger sibling to take care of. Henry went to speak again, but was interrupted by an electronic beep that notified them that someone was at the med lab doors.

"Sorry I'm late."

Steve Roger's face held a look of exasperation as the med lab doors in the X-Mansion sub-basement flew open at Beast's behest.

Steve squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brighter interior of the room. He headed to Tony's side, holding a file folder in his hand.

"You had a good reason." Tony offered, as Cap leaned over, kissing him. "How did it go?"

Steve nodded once, and then changed it to shaking his head. "Fine." Was all he said in return. Then he smiled and turned his attention to the furry blue doctor in the room.

"Hey, Hank."

"Cap." Beast smiled back, his fangs a brilliant white, then he tilted his head to the side. "Are you out of breath?" Henry asked, incredulously.

"Oh," Steve scratched the back of his neck, smiling slightly.

Tony loved it when he caught Steve looking like that. Bashful, he supposed was the right word. It was a side of Steve that only his friends really got to see. "I ran down here." The blond admitted.

Tony snorted and then winked at Steve when the man shot him a look. "I take it you left Osborn on the best of terms, then?"

Steve shrugged slightly. "He couldn't pencil me in." He stated, standing up straighter as though a ruler had been shoved down his spine.

"Not surprising." Tony glanced at the file folder in Steve's hand as Steve took a seat next to him on the med table. Steve looked at Tony conspiratorially. "Why is Bucky upstairs?"

"To tell you where to go once you got here." Tony lied immediately, hoping Steve didn't see the failure of logic in that statement. Where else would he be if not in the med labs?

Steve's gaze narrowed, but he didn't question the statement.

"Tell me you found out something new." Tony redirected, mindful of the fact that the notion that they were going to have a 'talk' later was practically emanating off of Steve.

Steve took a breath and looked at Beast for a second, as if contemplating whether or not he could say everything he wanted to in the other man's presence.

Beast slid across the room in his chair, jovially humming to himself as he picked up a random object off his desk, signifying that he would try not to listen to their conversation for a while. Steve seemed pacified.

"Did you get to see them?" Tony asked, in a hushed tone. Steve had been at HAMMER the entire day up until that point. He'd had no contact with Tony during any of it, and if Tony hadn't had Beast to distract him, he was fairly certain he would have called Fury just to stir things up.

"Yes." Steve looked down; he placed his hands in his lap. He looked guilty… _Why did he look guilty?_ "What did they say?"

"I don't…" Steve shook his head. "The Illanians don't remember a thing. And they're just being kept there." Tony watched as Steve locked his jaw in a steely determined _Captain America_ sort of way. The guilty expression Steve had worn before disappeared quickly. All that was left was the red, white, and blue Avenger. Cap hardly expressed guilt once he made his mind up about something… once he'd discovered something that clashed with his principles. It made him more difficult to reason with, but it wasn't impossible. Tony leaned back on the medical table, his arms supporting him. He could guess what Steve was thinking.

The Illanians were the people who were coming after them, after their child, and Steve was feeling sorry for them. Steve wanted to help them.

Tony scoffed as though he'd just heard a bad joke. _Of course Steve wanted to help them._

"But they couldn't add anything to the investigation?" Tony asked, trying to not let the frustration he was feeling in his chest bubble forward.

Steve had been trying to get in past HAMMER to see the Illanians for days. Tony didn't want to think that all of that had been for nothing. There was only so much of feeling helpless he could handle before he started doing… _not smart things._

Steve turned his head towards Tony and put a hand on his thigh in a placating manner. Tony felt the heat of his touch, but none of the comfort behind it. "Not directly." Steve reported. "But I did manage to get out of there with this." Steve motioned to the file folder he'd placed next to him when he'd sat down on the med table with Tony.

"What is it?" Tony asked, extending his hand to take it. Steve placed it in his grasp.

"A report from the battery of tests the military put those men through." Steve answered back, ignoring the look Tony gave him at the notion that the Illanians weren't really the bad guys in this.

Tony knew it was technically true but it was always so much easier to dislike something you could see, instead of a nameless, faceless shadow that was pulling strings behind the scenes.

He was thankful though, that someone could help him keep the big picture in his mind without it being an all encompassing thing. Steve was good at that, the 'keeping things from eating Tony's insides out' thing, and Tony was grateful.

Things were different now; ever since… well, ever since Steve had died that one time. And Tony discovered that he was better able to find the strength to ask other people for help. But Tony sometimes wished that he was capable of doing things on his own as well… that that third option of a healthy middle road could be there _naturally_ for him and he wouldn't have to find himself still afraid that without Steve he'd still either drown himself in his problems, or avoid them altogether. He wanted that to change.

"At least someone hates Osborn more then me." Tony quipped, pouring through the files.

"What makes you think they didn't just give it to me legitimately?" Steve asked, wrapping an arm around Tony's shoulders and squeezing. Tony winced, his body twitching involuntarily as Steve hit just the right spot. He tried to turn the motion into a planned decision to face his fiancé. Cap lowered his arm and shrugged.

"Alright," Steve admitted, as Tony bit his lower lip and tried to pass for someone who wasn't impressed. "Maybe someone hates Osborn."

"Maybe someone's just smart." They both heard Beast say from his spot across the room.

"Or that." Tony agreed, eyes back to scanning and evaluating the report. "Have you read this?" He asked Steve.

"I skimmed the thing." Steve consulted. "It wasn't in English or French, so I couldn't understand it."

Tony didn't reply. He flipped through the paperwork a bit more. There were lab results and some psychic reports. There was a thumb drive that was taped to the folder as well. Tony wanted to plug it into a computer right then and there.

"So…" Steve stated, after another minute. He slapped his hands down in his knees as though signifying the resolution of that topic, and the beginning of another. "What'd I miss?"

Beast opened his mouth to speak but Tony beat him to it. "Nothing, we just started." He said it in a bored, flat tone, looking up from the folder and holding his eyes on Henry.

Beast nodded in agreement, and Tony felt that pull of guilt surface again. And again, it went ignored.

"Perfect." Steve smiled, pushing himself off the table and landing with an air of resolution.

Henry continued his scan.

---------

A few minutes went by before Tony flopped the folder down, frustration making his skin hot.

"This isn't working for me." He said. "What could make blood-work look like this?"

Beast turned toward Tony, and Steve simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't ask me." Steve answered. He was now lying on another med lab table, hands entwined underneath his head, in a near mirror to how Tony was laying.

Beast tilted his head, shifting his eyes from the scanner he had in his hands, to the paperwork Tony held in his. He lowered the scanner.

"Can I see?" Beast asked, holding out a groomed and manicured hand to take the folder from Tony.

Tony thought about that and, after glancing at Steve for confirmation, he traded the folder for the scanner. The scanner felt cold in his hands and he avoided looking into its display. He just didn't feel like seeing it. He set it to his side.

Beast cleaned his spectacles on his shirt and perused through the report beseechingly.

Then he frowned.

"Magic." Beast murmured thoughtfully, prompting Steve to sit up on one elbow and face him.

"What?" Tony asked, suddenly incredibly tired.

"There's possibly a magical by-product in the Illanians' systems." Beast responded, stronger in his resolve.

Tony put a hand to his forehead. He could almost imagine the headache that was on its way. "I hate magic." He could taste the disgust in his mouth as he said the word aloud.

"Magic?" Steve asked. "Why jump to that conclusion? Maybe Illanian systems are just like that." He said, standing up.

Beast had moved from Tony's side to sit down at his desk. He flipped through a few more pages. "The fact that their physiology is foreign to us shouldn't allow for these occurrences. Basic life has rules. At least on Earth." Beast added, looking nostalgic for a second. "Why do you think it's possible for me to be able to care for so many different types of mutants with so many different types of powers? There are rules."

Beast stopped and tapped his fingers against the manila folder. "There's something familiar about this." He decided. He turned to face Tony. "Can I steal it?"

Steve and Tony shared another look before Tony nodded. "Yeah, of course. We'll make you a copy. Just… be sure to keep it down here."

Beast looked at Tony Stark over the bridge of his nose. "I can keep a secret." He responded. He stood and handed the report back to Tony, who decided to put it away for a while. Henry picked the scanner back up and continued his work.

Tony sighed and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. They felt sensitive under the florescent lights of the med room. He opened them again when the sound of the report being opened reached his ears. Steve was looking it over. Not that it would make any more sense to him, Tony reasoned.

Steve seemed to come to the same conclusion because he closed the manila folder again and leaned against the med table, resting his head on his forearms. Tony felt Steve's hot breath at his side. He could feel his dissatisfaction.

Tony put a hand to Steve's head sympathetically. "What are you thinking about?" He asked, quietly.

Steve lifted his head, his eyes falling to where Beast stood, and then settling back to envelop Tony. He shifted in his stance, his arms still leaning against the table. "Magic would explain why they don't remember anything, and explain the fuzz from the psychics." He said, his voice low.

Tony nodded. "Makes sense. As much as magic makes sense."

"What would a big magic user want with our baby?"

Tony couldn't answer. He didn't know, and Steve was just staring at him, those fierce blue eyes casting a subtle anxiety onto his features. _He_ didn't know, either. It was killing him not to know.

Steve buried his face in his arms again and Tony reached out, fingertips tracing along his hair line, feeling the strands fall through his grasp. Steve's hair was getting longer. Tony liked how it felt, but he knew it wouldn't be long before Cap just buzzed all of it off. That's just the way he was.

_It's gonna be okay,_ Tony wanted to say. He wanted to. He felt the words in his throat. Felt himself choking on them.

Beast's loud booming voice interrupted his thoughts.

"So do you two daddies-to-be want to know if it's a boy or a girl?"

_Wait…_

_What?_

Tony blinked, frozen in place. He managed to look at Beast after shaking his head clear, imagining that Steve did much of the same.

"You can tell?" Tony's voice wavered slightly, and he sat up in a start. Steve stood up straight as well.

"Um," Beast looked around at the equipment he was using like he'd been able to tell the gender at 5 weeks, let alone 18 weeks. "Yes." He responded.

"What do you think?" Steve asked Tony urgently. He moved to lean in close to him, his big strong hands curving around Tony's neck.

"I'm thinking, we probably should have thought to talk about this before." Tony countered, looking into Steve's wide eyes, the decision palpable in the space between them.

"Probably." Steve laughed, then he caught hold of himself. "I think we should wait." He whispered.

Tony thought that over. He thought about the months to come and for the first time he really tried to envision what it would be like to hold his child. Tony closed his eyes. What would it be like to have a little boy or a little girl in his arms?

He realized that the gender didn't matter. The feeling was the same. So… _he could wait._

Tony opened his eyes. He moved to cup Steve's face and then brushed his hand up past Steve's ear and entwined his fingers in the thick blond hair. "We can wait." He whispered back, a lazy grin on his face. He pulled Steve in closer.

He could feel, if not so much see, the beginning of Steve breaking out into a smile. "Life's biggest surprise, right?" Steve managed to say.

"Right." Tony conceded, noticing Beast, still holding the scanner, out of the corner of his eye. "You can't plan for everything."

----------------

"I just swear everyone's going insane!" Jan laughed. "And after the training session..." Jan made a face, and then pulled on Hank's arm as they walked through the halls of Stark Tower.

"The Avengers will be okay. It's Thursday. They're going to tell everyone tomorrow, anyway." Hank countered as he opened the door for Jan to go through.

"Hmm, that's true. But I guess…" Jan let her thought trail off as she walked on in front of him.

"You'll be as excited as Steve and Tony to be able to talk to everyone about it?" Hank finished for her.

"Maybe," Jan admitted. Then her smile grew as she saw who was in the living room.

"Tony! Steve. You're back." Jan exclaimed, flitting away from Hank to kiss Tony on the cheek and hook her arm in Steve's.

The couple looked caught slightly off guard.

"Like we would miss Logan's homecoming." Tony said, eyeing her pensively.

Jan nodded as she hooked arms with Tony as well. Both men looked slightly dismayed and Hank just glanced at the three of them, a helpless expression upon his face.

"Well, it's just nice he feels like this is one of the places he can come home _to_." Jan said, joyfully.

"Good point." Steve admitted.

"And then, of course, he'll be here for tomorrow." Jan continued. "For the news." She added, knowingly, drawing out the vowels.

Steve turned a skin shade deeper as Tony shook his head, choking back a laugh.

"Jan…" Tony said, as he disentangled himself from the Wasp and grabbed Steve by his shirt to make sure his fiancé followed him in tow. "Just don't throw me a shower."

Jan laughed a bit too loudly. "What do you mean?" She asked as Tony waved his hand dismissively in her direction, and dragged Steve into the dining room. "I have no idea what you could…" Jan stopped talking when the two men had left the room.

She put her hands on her hips. "Oh, I am _so_ throwing him a shower." Jan said, almost viciously.

"Yeah, I figured you were." Hank replied, stepping up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled back at him.

----------------------------

"When did _she_ find out?" Steve asked Tony, as the other man finally let go of him.

"Probably before you did." Tony bit back, amused more then anything.

They walked together, out past the dining room, but stopped when they heard Peter Parker's voice.

"Tony, hey. Um, can I talk to you for a minute?"

They both turned to look at the younger superhero. He walked towards them, entering the room from the kitchen.

He looked… nervous.

"Of course, Peter." Tony told him as Steve excused himself, walking on ahead. "What's going on?"

Peter had a box in his hands and he was staring at it rather intently.

"Yeah, no I was just thinking that um," Peter mumbled, as he glanced at Steve's back going off into the other room. "I mean, I know that the party is tomorrow and all," Peter started, as he and Tony walked off to a corner of the room. Tony had a feeling that Peter didn't want everyone in the living room to see them talking, considering the doors were wide open. "But I just wanted to kind of let you know now that… ya know." Peter rubbed the back of his neck and Tony felt a pang of amusement mixed with anxiety and sympathy as the other man looked like he was about to start hyperventilating.

"What is it, Pete?" Tony tried to sound calm, wondering what the other man could know. Apparently secrets were a lot harder to keep than Tony remembered.

Peter started to bounce on his toes, passing the box he held from hand to hand. "Just that I support your decision so you don't have to worry, cuz it'll be okay. And that--"

"Okay, slow down." Tony said, taking the younger man by the arm and moving even further towards the edge of the room. Peter fumbled with the box he held as he allowed himself to be moved along. Tony stopped moving when he bumped up against the wall. "Now what--"

"I just wasn't sure what you've been thinking lately, or if you're feeling like you can't be open with us because of whatever happened at the training session and so, like I said, I know tomorrow is tomorrow… but I wanted to give you this now. Like, as encouragement… for when you tell us at the dinner." Peter finished in one breath.

Peter Parker thrust the box in his hands in front of Tony and kept his eyes on said box until Tony reached out and took a hold of it.

Tony wasn't sure how to respond, not certain what Peter had been able to ascertain, but thankful that it was only one more day before all of the Avengers found out.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself for what the gift could be. A baby blanket? A teddy bear? Maybe a pair of little shoes…

"Thanks, Pete." Tony offered. He opened up the box.

Tony tilted his head to the side.

"Peter…" He looked up at the younger man apprehensively. "Is… is this a dress?"

Peter nodded at him vehemently. "Um… yes, that is a dress." He replied.

"A red and gold dress." Tony continued, wondering whether he should pull the dress from the box and have a better look at it, or just close the lid and try to forget about the last ten minutes of his life.

"Yeah well, you like those colors. It's kind of a thing with you." Peter scratched the back of his head.

Tony's face scrunched in irritation. "It's not a thing with…" He sighed. "Peter, why did you buy me a dress?"

The panicky look on Peter's face returned and the human spider took some shallow breaths before answering. "Uh, I support your decision?" He offered.

Tony blinked, and tried to force his mind to make sense of that. It just… wasn't computing. "My decision." Tony tried it out in his head.

Nope. Still not working.

"What decision would that be?"

"Well, you know…" Peter shrugged, not really able to say more.

Tony was about to say that, _no… he really didn't know_, when an interesting notion sprang into his mind.

"Peter…" Tony allowed himself to smirk through his confusion. "Tell me, how did you know what size to get me?"

Peter's face froze in an expression Tony would have described as slightly horrified. "I… well…" Peter's eyes darted to and from the box. "You're just a little bigger then me so, um--"

"Peter. Did you try this on?"

"I--"

Before Peter could fully answer, a commotion in the living room signified that Wolverine had arrived at the Tower. Both men looked through the open doors and could see the other Avengers welcoming the short man. The smell of cigar smoke started to waft throughout the floor.

"Oh hey, look! Logan!" Peter yelped.

"Yeah, we'll talk about this later." Tony agreed.

Peter seemed relieved.

Tony contemplated handing the box back to Peter but some weird line of gratitude caused him to hang on to it. "I…" Tony couldn't think of anything to say. "Thanks." He finally decided on, and closed the box back up, folding it under his arm.

He practically jogged into the living room.

"Logan!" Tony said, making his rounds past the other Avengers. "How was Japan?"

Logan went from slapping Luke Cage on the back, to fixing his gaze on Tony. The moment he did, his benign and laid back expression dissolved off of his face, leaving a harsher more concerned one in its wake.

"Fine." Wolverine replied. Tony could feel the man eyeing him.

Wolverine sniffed the air.

"Great." Tony took a small step back from the group, not removing his eyes from the burly man.

"What's wrong with you?" Logan asked, the happy atmosphere of _welcoming Wolverine back_ all but dissipating.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, as the other man staunchly chewed on his cigar butt.

Wolverine held his fist out by his side like Tony had seen him do too many times right before he gutted someone in a battle.

"Why do you smell that way?" Wolverine asked, with a warning in his voice.

Tony looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him. _Great._ "How about I tell you tomorrow." Tony said, in a reasonable manner. Then he grinned, hoping to defuse the situation.

"No. You tell me now, Stark." Wolverine took a step towards him. Anxiety danced up Tony through his fingertips, spreading to his arms, making them feel numb. He wanted to push back, to argue the point that everything was fine, but he was stuck again with what he would have normally done in a volatile situation and what he _had_ to do now to ensure the baby's safety.

He wasn't sure what to say.

"Logan!" Peter said, from Tony's left. "You can't just come back and start threatening people! This is why we don't invite you to poker night."

"Sorry web-head, but this is how I deal with guys who start to smell like him."

"Like what?" Peter asked, as Tony remained silent.

"Brood." Logan said, darkly.

"Brood?" Tony laughed. But then he stopped. The look on Logan's face did not bode well for finding anything about this situation humorous or ironic. Tony took a breath, thinking seriously about what it was like to come up against the Brood. Remembering how it felt. He looked at Carol for a second, her blue eyes growing harsh with memories.

_Damnit._

Tony had to admit that if he were in Logan's position, he'd probably feel like doing something drastic too. "I'm not--"

"Only one way to be sure about that." Logan lifted his other hand. "You'll heal, right?"

"That's enough." Steve's clear and commanding voice could be heard throughout the floor. He'd been in the other room with Hank and Jan but was making a path through everyone to put himself directly in front of Tony.

"I won't kill him." Wolverine stated, trying to eye Tony from his position behind Cap. "I just wanna make sure. Can't fault me for that."

"The only thing that you need to do, Logan, is to put out that cigar." Steve responded. Tony couldn't see the look on Cap's face but he could imagine it. Unfortunately, he _could_ see Wolverine's expression, and the man didn't look convinced.

Tony looked around at the other Avengers; he looked down at the box in his hand. He closed his eyes tight, and counted to three.

"Alright!" Tony practically shouted, tossing the box that Peter had given him back at the perplexed younger man who caught it in his arms. "Fine."

Tony could tell all attention was on him. Steve didn't take his eyes off of Wolverine but he tilted his head slightly when Tony made his declaration.

"You all want to know? Good. I am glad that you're concerned about my well being. And don't think I'm not grateful…" Tony twisted to look back at Peter. "It's my fault for keeping secrets and this really begs to be freed." Tony flexed his shoulder and stood a bit straighter.

Steve was still standing out in front of him, almost at guard. Hank, Jan, Clint, Carol, Luke, Logan, and Peter were all in the room. He could tell the rest tomorrow. It wasn't like the baby was the only reason for the dinner. They were also telling everyone that he and Steve were getting married, as well as renaming Stark Tower to Avengers Tower, so… his Mother wouldn't completely disown him if he did this now.

"Everyone listening?" Tony whispered, almost to himself. "I'm not carrying Brood." He paused, swallowing air, and then spoke louder. "I'm not carrying Brood." He looked at Wolverine.

"I haven't been drinking." He paused at Carol, wanting desperately for her expression to change.

"Extremis is fine, so is my armor." Tony added. "And I don't want to be a woman…" He ended awkwardly.

He took in a calming breath, as even Steve had turned to face him.

"So, main plot point…" Tony gazed at Steve, who was actually grinning back at him now.

_Just say it._

"I'm pregnant." Tony kept his eyes on Steve, and he didn't stop there. "And yes, I mean with a child. If anyone wants to know the scientific details ask Reed, for a second opinion ask Henry. Ask Hank for a panicked version." Tony gestured toward the back of the room where Jan was holding her head in her hands, possibly laughing, possibly crying, and Hank was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, probably frozen that way for the rest of his life.

"This is Ultron related yes but, I'm keeping it, no it's not evil, and _yes_ Steve is the other father if anyone had time to place bets about that." Tony ended quickly, and then tried not to stumble as it felt like all of the blood in his body was rushing to his head.

Everyone was silent. Wolverine had stomped out his cigar, though Tony wasn't 100% sure how to process that, Carol hadn't stopped staring at him, and Luke looked kind of like how a person would if he'd just locked himself out of his house and was wondering how to get back in. Peter was standing behind Tony, and Tony hadn't gotten up enough courage to look at the younger man yet.

Steve was just smiling.

"Any questions?" Tony asked, weakly looking about the room.

No one answered and Tony could feel his heart trying to escape his chest.

Finally, Clint picked up his head and actually raised his hand as though he were in elementary school.

Tony felt a rare emotion crawl throughout his body. _Relief._ At least they were still talking to him.

"Yes?" Tony panted.

"Um," Clint wavered. "Is it contagious?"

--------------------------

End of Chapter 5- there will be a SLIGHT break in between posting Chapter 5 and Chapter 6-- and also- FYI we're working on a stand-alone story that goes through the reactions to finding out about the baby of everyone we didn't have a chance to cover in Moth!Proper: Sam, James, Carol, Luke, Clint, MJ, Peter (lol), Jessica, etc. If you have anyone you're dying to see the extended reaction of, feel free to tell us in the comments and we'll see if we don't have anything else planned for them, and can add them in. :D


	17. Chapter 6a Priorities

Moth- Chapter 6.1- Issue 25- Priorities

"Why does it have to be today? Hell, why does it have to be this week?" Tony asked, his sour mood evident despite his eyes being covered by welding goggles, sparks glinting off the reflective surface as he continued to work.

"It's _your_ wedding. I mean if you'd rather have Jan plan the whole thing…" Pepper responded, from a table nearby. She hadn't looked up from her clipboard. Her tablet pen was scribbling away frantically, though her face held an outward appearance of serenity.

She heard him grunt with disapproval. "I have a lot of work to do."

Tony's response was reluctant and standard. She'd heard something similar a million times before. He was being difficult. But Pepper knew she'd win in the end.

"Again that's fine, I'll just let Jan know. And tell Steve…" Pepper snarked, knowing what would motivate Tony to actually leave his garage.

There was a beat before Tony finally shut off his blow torch and pushed his chair away from the workstation. He looked like he always did while working on machinery. The only differences were the clothes he was wearing and the type of tech he was working on. Instead of tinkering with the armor, or working on one of his old cars (which he'd been doing lately and was something that Pepper hadn't seen in years), he was trying to fix some odd metal object that looked kind of like a cockroach.

And the tummy she'd barely noticed a few weeks ago was getting decidedly more noticeable to even say, a passerby, _or the paparazzi_. The tabloids were even reporting that Tony Stark was drinking again, as evidenced by his growing beer belly. Well… that, and Star magazine had added that he was obviously in the middle of an acute mental breakdown and that was why he rarely left the Tower anymore and always had an escort.

_Oh rumors…_

Tony had taken it in stride, though Pepper could tell it was getting to him.

But he'd actually surprised her in the fact that after he'd told his friends and colleagues about the baby and his engagement to Steve, he hadn't run straight back down to seclude himself in the safety of his garage. At least not right away…

It was a sort of cycle with him, she knew. He'd try to open up to people then recede, further back then before. She could see it happen but wasn't the greatest at getting him out into the big bright world once again. Happy had always been the best at that. But Steve wasn't too bad either, apparently.

And while Tony couldn't actually fly around in the suit for the time being, that certainly didn't keep him from holding onto it like a security blanket. Even now, his eyes were darting from his work to the suit, which was hanging up in the corner of the garage as though it were a collectible on display.

"Come on, Tony. You aren't afraid of girls, are you? You like girls." Pepper finally put down her pen to smile at him.

Jan, Mary Jane, and herself were planning a baby shower.

Needless to say, Tony didn't know.

Well… she should really say that Jan, Mary Jane, _Steve_ and herself were planning a baby shower for Tony, and with the way that Captain America wanted to take charge, Pepper was almost worried about when they really _did_ start planning for the wedding. Thankfully, Jan had talked to him and calmed him down a bit.

But Pepper was sympathetic to Steve's anxieties. They had spoken, and Steve seemed to feel that the shower was a way to show Tony the scope of active support in the superhero community. And Pepper herself could attest to the fact that Tony needed support _shoved_ in his face before he even realized it was there or that he was allowed to accept it.

So, with the wedding simply too far away, a shower was deemed the perfect opportunity to showcase all of that.

Not that Tony needed to know. He thought that he was helping to plan for the wedding, which was still being held an indeterminate amount of time away. So there was little wonder why he thought that starting to plan for it now was asinine. But luckily he wasn't really one to question Jan's flights of fancy.

Pepper had learned to stay out of Jan's way as well.

Regardless, the woman had a thing for secret events and kind of a flair for the dramatic that Pepper found refreshing—plus—Tony had kept a pretty big secret from them all… turn about was only fair play.

Tony stood and moved his goggles from his eyes up to his forehead. He removed the heavy leather gloves he'd been wearing and placed them back into the drawer on this tool chest where they belonged.

Then he sighed, staring at an oil stain on his shirt.

He was procrastinating.

He was a nervous Tony. Pepper could tell that, at least. Not that he'd ever admit it. Not that all but possibly three people still alive in the world would ever be able to guess. She couldn't tell if he was nervous at the prospect of leaving the Tower and possibly putting his child in danger, or if it was the idea of spending the afternoon at Jan's _design_ studio and the increased risk that put him at in having to talk about, well… _designs_.

"It doesn't matter what you think, Tony. You already have it scheduled in," Pepper continued, walking toward him confidently, heels clicking on the floor.

"Hardly seems fair. You're the one who makes my schedule," Tony answered, almost staring her down.

"So… I'm enforcing it." Pepper smiled with a smug determination.

Tony looked like he was fighting hard to keep from sighing and rolling his eyes… or possibly just going right back to his work.

"Fine," Tony said shortly, finally surrendering. "I'll tell James."

"Already did," Pepper stated victoriously, tilting her head slightly and lifting her chin to him.

"Fine." Tony breathed slowly out through his nose. "I'll go take a shower."

"I laid your clothes out for you," she said, still smiling at him.

Tony continued to give her a blank stare, but Pepper could tell he was amused.

It was nice to finally be able to spend some time with him again after she'd felt pushed away for so long. It was like a homecoming, and they had fallen right back into how things used to be. Relatively.

"Fine," Tony muttered, taking the goggles from his forehead and leaving her side to put them away. She held out a towel for him when he walked back past her and he took it seamlessly without looking her way. "Still don't understand why it can't wait until after." Tony mumbled to himself, wiping his hands and then handing the towel back to her.

_After…_

Tony was referring to the company retreat that he was going to at the end of the month, just a little over a week from now. He was telling his company then, the top brass, the people who could make his life a living hell (at least the corporate part of it, if they so chose) about the baby and about his engagement to Steve.

That was the whole plan, actually: have Tony go off on his retreat, tell the company privately, and then when he got back they would have a fantastic party and forget all about the fact that the entire world now knew Tony Stark was pregnant… Pepper thought of it as an oasis for whatever might eventually occur in the _real_ world.

She shrugged as a response. "Well, she is a professional designer, Tony. And you did tell her, and I quote 'My wedding, yeah sure, I can't imagine anyone else helping me plan for it.'" Pepper stopped with her hand on her hip as Tony slowly turned back to face her. "What the hell were you thinking?" She shook her head in sympathy at the man.

Tony's face scrunched up into a slight sneer and then he put a hand to his goatee, looking contemplative. "This baby is obviously causing my judgment to lapse." He stated seriously. "I told you it has mind control powers, didn't I? Possibly ninja skills…"

Pepper laughed. "If I'm remembering the day you're talking about correctly, you later told me that Steve Rogers was a very stupid man for trying to get you up before noon. And than you grumbled something incoherent about coffee and disappeared into your office." She clarified.

Tony nodded as though that was how every day had been for the past month or so, then his features softened and he offered her a small smile.

"It's good… having you around." He said it as though he'd just come to that conclusion and had to say it aloud. She smiled at him. "I need a bully like you." He added.

Her smile disappeared.

Pepper faked annoyance but tilted her head at him fondly. "I'm always just a phone call away." She pointed to the door. "Now go!" She ordered, not letting those blue eyes get the better of her. "Don't think you're getting out of this just because you bat those eyelashes at me and… _flatter_ me so," she said, sarcastically.

Tony left the room with a smirk and Pepper just rolled her eyes.

------------------

"No, the baby shower _is_ the engagement party. It's all inclusive. That's why this is a big deal. I doubt that Tony should be having all of these things happening again and again throughout the pregnancy, so that equals one party to count for the forty-seven I would have thrown the two otherwise," Jan said, going a mile a minute as she walked around her design studio. MJ and Cassie watched her flutter about from a safe distance.

"That makes sense," Cassie responded cautiously. MJ looked over at her. The girl had asked if it was fair to have a party just for Tony when Steve was getting married also. MJ understood the sentiment, but Steve was one of those guys who wanted to take care of everyone else and hated all of the attention being on him, anyway.

And this "baby shower," it had to count for the coming out party, the wedding party, and… any other party-- so according to Jan, it had to be a monster. MJ's eyes followed the Wasp as she moved from one end of the room and back again.

Sounded like her kind of fun.

"It is our right as Steve and Tony's friends and fellow Avengers to hold a fantastic party," Jan said, as she continued to mosey about her studio. Mary Jane wasn't quite sure how she fit in as a fellow Avenger, but she simply nodded in agreement and found herself looking longingly at the table that held some sketches Jan had been working on earlier that day. Apparently for the shower, Jan was doing a line based off of the child so the templates and base sketches would be done and packaged like a magazine order for Tony and Steve to choose from.

MJ remembered back to when she had been looking at baby clothes… and wondered if Tony had done like she had and pretended to want to be surprised and meanwhile peaked at the OB's notes to see what gender her child would have been. MJ rubbed her stomach nervously and flipped over the piece of paper on the countertop so she'd no longer have to see the sketch of a little blue sundress with pinkish-red flowers swirling all about.

"Tony's supposed to be here soon, right?" Cassie asked anxiously, her eyes moving from the entrance of the studio to the cart that held various snacks for the models and workers.

MJ smiled to herself at the girl's concern.

Then she almost laughed aloud as her thoughts slipped back to that night at the dinner when the Young Avengers and everyone else had learned about Tony and the fact that Eli had been more caught up on the fact that Steve Rogers was gay, then the fact that Tony Stark was pregnant.

And then Clint had started talking to them about the bees and the bees and the importance of condoms, and Kate had cracked up laughing and Billy and Teddy had looked kind of uncomfortable…

Mary Jane was just happy that the Tower's cameras had caught it all on tape because now she could watch it again and again, all in perfect clarity and high definition. The Avengers really did have the best home movies.

Ever since Cassie and the rest of the Young Avengers had learned about Tony, the girl had been extremely interested in anything to do with him. MJ wouldn't have been surprised if she and Kate had somehow figured out Tony's schedule.

Cassie came out of what Mary Jane could only describe as an astonished interest and Kate came along every now and again due to the fact that she had a crush on James with a capital C, and where Tony was, James was often found lagging behind, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

The only thing MJ was sure of was that the man could go from unnoticeable to being an irrepressible presence in the room at the second any perceivable threat became known. She had no idea how Steve had talked James into being Tony's bodyguard, but she had no doubt in his abilities.

MJ came back to reality at the sound of Cassie leaving her side to run up to Tony Stark as he entered the room.

The two embraced and then Tony grinned. "What are you doing here, Cassie?" he asked, as he let her go and began to walk over to Jan. James followed in Tony's wake, as silent and stoic as ever. He was like one of those British Royal Guards that weren't allowed to smile, MJ decided.

"She's with me," Mary Jane piped up, and Tony's head whipped around to smile at her in greeting. She smiled pleasantly in return. Cassie looked back at MJ as well, with admiring eyes.

MJ still found that a bit weird. That was the funny thing with living at the Tower. She had taken to visiting the YA when everyone was off fighting or elsewhere. They were good company, and she did some of the girly things with Cassie and sometimes Kate, taking them shopping. Ya know, playing mom…

"Okay, I'm here." Mary Jane heard Tony tell Jan. His arms were crossed. He looked kind of sulky and pudgy and annoyed, yet dapper in a way that only Tony Stark could pull off. James was standing next to him looking about the corners of the room, possibly checking the foundations of the building for structural integrity, MJ couldn't tell, but she was already amused.

This was going to be a fun lunch, she was certain of it.

"Uh-huh," Jan responded, not taking her eyes off of a design she had settled for working on. "Go and talk to Mary Jane," the woman said.

MJ's eyes opened wider and she found herself offering Tony a seat when he made it near the number of plush designer chairs surrounding a coffee table where she was settled. Cassie sat down next to Tony once he'd picked his spot.

James walked further down past the cluster of chairs and stopped in front of the set of large glass windows, his hands clasped behind his back, brow furrowed in concentration, now possibly checking the skyline for evil birds or something.

MJ tore her vision from the man and looked back at Tony whose gaze was wandering toward the snack cart.

"Do you want anything, Uncle Tony?" Cassie asked, noticing where he was looking.

"Does that thing have espresso?" Tony asked, straining his neck to look behind him.

Both Cassie and MJ turned to him, "No coffee."

Tony looked back at them and raised an eyebrow. "Okay then," he stated, as though he expected it from Steve, but not from them.

"I'll just get you… other things," the girl offered, getting up and rushing to the cart.

"Thanks Cassie," Tony said, his features softening slightly. Then he looked about the room in general.

"Jan looks… busy. Why am I here?" He finally asked.

"Uh… well, we wanted to get those invitations out of the way." MJ answered with a perfect smile.

Tony sighed.

"Tony, Tony. You just don't understand women and weddings. Trust us, it's very important." Mary Jane responded, trying to recover from his reluctance.

"It's important, Tony." Jan said from across the room, needles in her mouth, her eyes never leaving the train of the dress she was working on.

Tony looked at the women around him, to James standing guard near the large open windows of the building, and then his eyes scanned the ceiling. He seemed to be considering if he could escape. Finally, he sunk back in his chair.

"Alright," Tony countered. "What do you want to know?"

MJ grabbed a notepad she'd started to write names down in, and flipped past a couple of pages. "Okay, invitation list. Now this is to the wedding itself, not the reception."

Tony nodded.

"I guess we should start easy. Tigra?" MJ asked.

"No," was Jan's response from across the room.

Mary Jane looked over at her, a tad surprised, and Tony just snorted in laughter. He looked over at the petite woman who was still working on her dress. "Ya know, technically that wasn't really Hank who--"

"No," Jan interrupted him.

"Moving on, then," MJ said, as Cassie returned with a plate of random things. She handed it to Tony who looked intrigued by her culinary choices.

"Let's try even easier." MJ decided. "War Machine?"

"Rhodey. Rhodey's my best man. Uh, half-best man… person." Tony fumbled. "He'll be there."

"Him and Pepper, then." MJ laughed at the idea of Tony having two "best-people," but she said nothing else about the matter and scanned the rest of her list.

"Sam, like the Falcon?" Mary Jane supplied, complete with hand-wing motions.

"We're asking Steve about all of this too, right?" Tony turned to look at Jan, slightly incredulous. The woman nodded from afar and MJ answered for her. "Of course, Tony. This is just something to crosscheck." She smiled widely again and hoped that Tony would drop the whole _Steve should be here too_ idea. The man was currently out with Pepper; planning things of their own for the shower, and MJ didn't want to be the one to let that little secret slip.

"Alright then, yes." Tony shrugged as MJ nodded, relieved. She wrote Sam's name with a star next to it to symbolize Cap's invite list. And with all of these thoughts about Cap…

"What about Sharon?" MJ blurted. Tony straightened in his seat and seemed to think on that, "It's complicated," he admitted after a minute. "She's invited for sure, but I don't know if she'll…" Tony trailed off. "She's invited." He finally said.

MJ agreed silently, keeping her eyes on her notepad, not meaning to have brought up any sore subjects. She steadied her shoulders, knowing that Sharon hadn't shown up at the dinner party. She put a question mark next to the woman's name.

"Simon," MJ provided.

Tony furrowed his brow. "Why would I invite him?" he asked.

"Between Carol and Beast, trust me, you should invite him," MJ said, with a bit of nervous laughter.

"I knew he was dating Carol… Beast?" Tony tilted his head.

"Oh yeah. You should have heard Carol go off in a fit when Simon snuggled into her one night and called her Henry," MJ said conspiratorially, reaching over and taking a cookie from Tony's plate.

"He did?" Cassie stated in awe.

Mary Jane simply nodded.

Tony didn't look impressed. "I will never be pregnant enough to gossip like a teenager, moving on."

Cassie laughed slightly and MJ smiled. She looked back down at her list. "Jen! As a lawyer, she could give awesome gifts," Mary Jane stated, as though that logic was flawless. She also had good aunt vibes from what little Mary Jane had been around her and Dani. And she had helped out in finding Dani after the kidnapping, so…

Tony nodded. Jen was now on their list for invites.

"The X-Men," Tony supplied, before MJ could speak again.

"You aren't going to separate them?" Cassie asked.

Tony closed his eyes like just thinking about it was going to give him a headache. He shook his head.

"This is true. It's the X-Mansion. You tell one, they all know." MJ agreed. "Thor?"

Tony's eyes flashed open and his gaze hardened. Then he seemed to force himself to relax and made an absent shrug. "We can try."

"Okay, moving on again," MJ said, once more regretting her name choice, suddenly realizing why Jan had given this job to her. "Deadpool," MJ declared, with sudden inspiration.

"You're kidding, right?" Tony asked, his demeanor changing. He wrapped his arms protectively around his stomach.

"Of course." MJ smiled.

"It would save hiring entertainment though!" Cassie supplied, motioning with her hands a _snikt_ and then an _'Oh noes~ someone has stabbed me in the head_.'

MJ stopped her at the _'Oops sorry Logan, I grabbed your left leg instead of mine_.'

"Wanda." Mary Jane said, trying to get back on track.

Tony laughed apprehensively and Cassie looked away.

MJ considered the reaction, and decided that she was officially no good at asking Tony Stark who he wanted at his wedding. She thought about it more and regretted her decision in bringing up Thor and Wanda so close in succession, considering they both had something to do with resurrecting Steve.

But then Cassie looked over at Tony, almost hopefully. "Maybe you should ask," the girl said. "It might bring her by the Tower. Billy and Will really want to reconnect with her but she's so distant and every time they try… she disappears on them." Cassie looked down. "I think she wants to see them, but then second guesses herself. Like she can't trust herself to be close to anyone anymore…" Cassie added, with an almost bitter tinge to her voice. But then her body unwound. She took a breath. "Wasn't that the kind of thing that made her go crazy the first time? Jonas is kind of fuzzy on it but… maybe we don't want her gone forever…" Cassie trailed off into a whisper. She looked away again.

Tony seemed slightly hurt for just a second before MJ couldn't tell how he felt anymore and he smiled at Cassie, putting his plate of food on the coffee table in front of him. "Hey," he said, his voice sounding almost like he was wounded. "If _you're_ saying that, then there's no way I won't try to find her."

MJ watched Cassie offer Tony a small smile. It almost looked forced, but Mary Jane knew that Cassie's stance on the Scarlet Witch had changed over the past six months. After Wanda had helped to bring Steve back to defeat the Skrull, everything had sort of changed. And everyone knew what she had done for Clint…

Word in the community was also that some level of interference was had on her behavior by the Skrull, and true or not, maybe it was just easier for everyone to try and move forward together now. Still, however fresh, Cassie's ability to forge a path toward forgiveness was positively astounding to MJ, who knew she herself could never forgive Osborn.

"If she comes, Dr. Strange will too." Tony continued. Then he sighed as though the thought of Dr. Strange coming anywhere near him, was hurting him physically.

When MJ paused to go through a few more things on her notepad, Tony looked back over to where Jan was. The woman had made it over to the other end of the room again. "When are you leaving for California, Jan?" He asked her. "Jan?"

Jan looked over at him distractedly. Then her vision snapped into focus. "What? Oh. Two weeks-- and it's like I have to do everything myself or it just doesn't get done." She stated in a grandiose fashion.

Tony leaned back in his chair, his eyes trailing along the ceiling. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Mary Jane bit her bottom lip at that. She'd forgotten that Jan was going to be out of town soon. She knew that Jan really wanted to get this shower done before she went back off to California for the fashion show—she'd only be gone for about a month but she seemed more and more displeased at the prospect of leaving at all as time went by.

"Work being mean again?" Cassie asked Tony sympathetically. The girl leaned toward him and Tony looked back at her.

"No more then usual, Cass." He smiled. "It's just this huge deadline I've got going these days," he explained, his hand softly going to his stomach as he said the word deadline.

Cassie smiled up at him. "It's alright, Uncle Tony. You're going to be a great mom."

Tony was silent for a second before he surprisingly started to laugh. "Thanks," he said, putting a hand on top of the girl's head. "That… means a lot," he chuckled.

"And you're not in it all alone ya know," MJ reminded Tony. "Steve's already the mother hen type, and the Young Avengers all know that they're adding one more kid to their list."

"What are we, The Baby-sitter's Club?" Cassie replied mournfully, as she pushed Tony's hand from her head.

MJ nodded. "You even watched the Powers kids a few times, oh and the kids from LA, y'know those Runaway ones?"

"I don't think teaming up with counts as babysitting," Cassie said, sulkily.

Tony laughed some more and MJ was glad to hear the noise.

"What are you smiling about?" She feigned aggravation and rounded on him sternly. Tony's grin faltered. "Just what would you call your team-ups with Peter when he was in high school?"

Tony's smile returned and he raised his hands in surrender. "We didn't even know he was a kid then. That really doesn't count."

"Well, what about Cap's kid team-ups? He had Bucky." Cassie looked over at James who was facing them now. He had his back to the big glass window and his arms were crossed in front of him.

Mary Jane smiled over at him. "Fess up, James. Steve was _your_ sidekick, wasn't he?"

James shifted in his stance. Then he nodded once, eliciting a laugh from Cassie.

"That may be, but the time is here and now, and I'm still stuck baby-sitting him," Tony said, with a smirk.

"Actually," James replied, speaking for the first time since coming in. "You're younger then me, so technically…"

Cassie laughed again.

------------------

Jan heard Mary Jane turn to tease James again and watched as the other man actually broke into a grin. It was probably one out of exasperation, but Mary Jane sat there with a triumphant look upon her face nevertheless.

Jan then found herself smiling at Tony fondly; noticing, out of the corner of her eye, the man and his new, more tranquil, demeanor. He was laughing and relaxed with his hand across his belly. He looked tired and hopeful and she honestly couldn't remember Tony Stark looking this way since before she'd moved to England. Since before Wanda…

There were so many different things her little Avengers family had been through. And it was hurt and… it was still broken… but it felt like it might finally be mending—the way it should have tried to mend years ago.

With everything that was happening between Steve and Tony, in understanding everything they had put each other through and what they'd been able to overcome, Jan couldn't help but look at Hank… her Hank Pym—and almost allowed herself to think things she hadn't in years.

And she'd tried… in England- and things had been tough but, then…

Then he'd been a Skrull. There was no way around that one. And when she'd seen him again, known it was really him—she couldn't allow herself to be put in such a vulnerable position again- she really hadn't told anyone how much it had affected her.

And so she had allowed herself to open up to Hank as a friend, but she couldn't do anymore, no matter how much it hurt her.

But now… now she found herself thinking the thoughts she used to… way back when everything was fresh and new.

And just like Steve and Tony—where the world just made more sense when they were on the same side—when they were united, whether it be with the Avengers, or more personally like now, she could see herself completed in Hank.

Jan loved being a romantic but all such thoughts had long ago been set aside, along with believing in fairytales and Happily Ever After. But now…

"What?" Jan heard Tony's voice before she realized that it was directed her way. He was looking at her, undoubtedly wondering why she'd been staring at him.

She gawked at him for a second like a deer caught in headlights, then she smirked, throwing her hand on her hip. "Nothing, I was just wondering if you were going to wear nothing but horrible, baggy MIT shirts for the rest of your pregnancy."

Tony shot her a look of disgust. "No," he said, simply.

"What?" Jan replied, innocently.

"You're not designing me anything." He looked down. "I knew it was a bad idea to meet at the studio," he said, almost to himself.

Jan smiled.

"Don't worry Tony," She said, sweetly. "I'll take good care of you."

------------------------------


	18. Chapter 6b Family Mechanics

Clint wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand and moved off to the side of the street to pluck an arrow from the ground. A plume of dirt expelled upward, swirling and settling back down on the pavement like nothing had even happened. He sighed.

It was a frustrated sigh, directed mostly at the memory of the fine grade of supervillian New York was subjected to. Today it had been some schmuck in a costume egged on by his buddies, in equally atrocious attire, who had apparently all gotten bored with their fantasy football teams and decided to rob a bank in broad daylight.

As though to highlight their poor planning of said heist, the Avengers had been about a mile away at a dedication ceremony for the firefighters of New York.

And despite their… _bravado_ the men at the bank had practically peed their pants at the sight of full fledged superheroes bearing down on them.

It had been an easy fight.

Clint noticed Steve off on his own near the steps of the bank. He jogged over to the man, about to rib him for the speech he'd given to the bank robbers, about how they'd all have to _earn an honest living, and be mindful of the commonwealth_ or something like that-- yadda yadda… Steve was such a boy scout.

Clint slowed in his step when he noticed that Steve was on the radio.

The tone of his voice was slightly exasperated, though there was a certain fondness shining through. Clint figured he must be talking to Tony.

Steve held up a finger when he noticed Clint approach, signifying that he'd be just another minute. Clint shrugged his shoulders, acting nonchalant, but didn't leave Steve's side. He just waited, and could only hear Steve's side of the conversation—but it was definitely Tony on the other end, Clint was now sure of it.

"No, I'm not busy. It's all taken care of."

A pause.

"It was nothing," Steve said, sympathetically, as though he were consoling the other man. "Just some jokers in masks at the bank… You didn't miss anything important." He offered kindly.

"Just me being amazing," Clint interjected, saying the statement rather loudly- perhaps to annoy Tony, perhaps to annoy Steve- but mostly because it was true.

"What was that, Tony?" Steve asked, putting a finger to the ear that didn't have the comm. system, and turning his back on Clint. Clint responded by rolling his eyes, and twirling the arrow he had around in his fingers, the sharp edges digging into his skin.

After another minute, Steve faced him, having turned off his radio. His eyes met Clint and he grinned, "Well, I think the police have this covered," he stated declaratively, crossing his arms in front of him, as though daring anyone to challenge him.

Then he got this odd look on his face like he was trying to remember something, or wasn't quite sure how to ask a question. Clint raised an eyebrow so he'd just spit it out.

"There's a supermarket back down the street, right?" Steve finally asked, grip tightening around the leather straps on his shield.

"A supermarket?" Clint repeated, curiously.

"Tony ran out of Doritos… and Oreos." Steve admitted, a strangely guilty expression spreading across his face.

Clint just laughed; amused at the thought that Tony Stark would call Captain America after a battle for a grocery run. "Save the world and then go buy corn chips and sugar for your fiancé. You're just too much awesome for one person to possibly contain," he said, nodding in affirmation concerning the supermarket's location. "Yeah, it's down that way," Clint added, pointing, and then following after the man when he started to walk in that direction.

"I guess I'll tag along." Clint shrugged, "A guy your age, all alone. Don't want you to get lost in the big city." He teased, as he ran up alongside the broader man, knowing full well that Steve knew New York like the back of his hand.

Steve just rolled his eyes and pushed Clint on ahead of him. "Thanks for your concern," Steve's voice was sarcastic and Clint was suddenly proud of the feat. Not many people could get Steve Rogers to embrace sarcasm.

They walked along the streets, Clint reenacting Steve's heroic moves at the bank and how the bank teller had swooned and fawned all over him. Steve pretended to be annoyed, but still turned bright red.

Finally, the two entered the supermarket, Steve storming in like he was on a mission.

There was a tough looking old man with gray hair and a badge at the entrance that looked up at them, causing Clint to suddenly become cognizant of the fact that they were still in full uniform… with weapons.

He looked at the security guard with a grin, figuring they'd have to rethink how to get snacks for pregasaurus-- only the old man surprised him and simply straightened in his seat, ushering them in with a wave and a twinkle in his eye. In fact, Clint half expected the man to brake out into a salute for Cap as he came near.

Steve seemed… distracted, however and strolled past the man with just a nod. Clint smirked a little and jogged to catch up to him.

"What aisle would Doritos fall under? Crackers?" Steve asked him when Clint came to a halt by his side.

Clint squinted his eyes as though in serious contemplation. "Crackers have their own aisle?" he asked, with a smile. "Is it near the prune juice? And the hard candies?"

"Forget it," Steve's voice was an echo muttered under his breath. He turned to move down to the left to apparently look through aisles at random, but Clint scoffed and grabbed his shoulder, tugging him to the right, toward the snack aisle, where they would hopefully find both chips and cookies.

Clint then found himself unable to move while smack in the middle of the lane, as Steve had stopped dead to look at the various options. "You really going to let Tony stock up on junk food?" Clint asked in a taunting tone, folding his arms and ignoring the looks that the other people in the store were beginning to give them. Clint figured it was because of the walking American flag. Maybe it was the purple leather. Nothing new to see, really…

"Scream cheese? What kind of flavor names are these? He never told me a name, he said _cheese_... all of these have cheese…" Steve rambled on.

"Are you even listening to me?" Clint asked, and after he didn't get a response to that question as well, which was more than answer enough, he looked about the aisle for a second and grabbed a bag that said "_Nacho Cheese_" and tugged at the shield on Steve's back to get the man to follow him. "These are fine," he scolded. "What kind of Oreos did Tony want?"

"There are kinds?" Steve asked, panic slightly shrouding his voice. He still wasn't budging from his location near the chips. Clint made a noise in the back of his throat and turned his back to the man, doing a formidable imitation of a sulking cat, while waiting for Steve to make up his mind. As he did so, Clint looked around at the rest of the food items on display. When he didn't see any Oreos, he turned to back to Steve, who had captured a bag of chips down from the shelf and was looking it over. "Perfect," Clint commented, not bothering to see what he'd grabbed. "Let's try the cookie aisle."

Steve finally turned to follow him, and Clint noticed that the blond was beginning to act like he always did when he got into a big chain store or a mall. He was the same way when he spent too much time in front of a computer: slightly flabbergasted, but thoroughly stubborn about it. It was _adorable_.

The Oreo shopping went much the same as the Doritos shopping, with Steve finally settling on double-stuffed. After that, everything went just fine until they were getting ready to leave and Steve realized that he had gotten himself into a self check-out lane. Well, really he just sort of looked at the conveyor belt with a blank stare until Clint pushed him out of the way and started to ring up their items.

Then, when Clint was about to ask Steve how they were paying, since he was certain he'd left his wallet in his other quiver, the people in line behind them sacrificed their youngest child to shyly amble toward Captain America and pull on his big red glove.

Clint paused in trying to find out if his uniform had change hiding in it anywhere and just waited to see what the child was about to do.

Steve looked down at the little boy and smiled once he noticed him. The boy, and he must have been about three, simply thrust a piece of paper up toward Steve. "Can I have your name?" he asked, and Clint found himself twitching a little from the diabetic coma that was looming on the horizon. Geez…

It took Steve a second to realize that the little boy had meant his autograph, but once he did, Captain America jumped into action, taking the piece of paper and looking around sheepishly for something to write with.

Clint saw him spot a package of blue ballpoint pens near the checkout. Steve ripped open the bag, taking one out and handing the remains to Clint. "Of course!" he told the little boy.

While Steve did that, Clint tried to figure out where the barcode was located on the now mangled bag of pens. He found it, and heard a satisfying beep from the scanner for his troubles.

It was nice though… now that he thought about it—that superheroes were being treated like they were good guys again and not something to be hunted down… he'd missed the bulk of it when he'd been "_absent_" for the Civil War, but he'd gotten plenty of the backlash.

Clint sighed.

"How are we paying for this again?" He asked Steve, once the man had successfully signed away his signature to the family behind them.

Steve looked at Clint for a second before recognition seemed to click into place. "Oh," He bent down to pull off his boot.

"Ew," Clint made a face. "Of course you put it there." Steve handed him a credit card that had his smiling visage on it, which Clint suspected was to keep a random villain from picking it up during a battle and leeching the superhero clean. He found that prospect kind of… hilarious actually. Tony must have given it to him. He took the card from Steve, grimacing slightly, but thankful that Cap hadn't handed him foot-money.

Clint would have drawn the line at foot-money.

With the snacks paid for and Steve holding the bag, Clint took the lead out of the store. It was slightly cooler outside then when they'd first entered the store. There were more people walking around now, as well. Clint supposed it was after five and everyone was heading home.

"This must be true love, Cap. I don't know of anyone who would brave the horrors of the self check-out line for _me_…" Clint teased, heading left, back toward the Tower.

"Must be," Steve replied, a small smile on his lips. "I still can't believe it," he admitted, squinting slightly against the sun as it slowly lowered in the sky.

"Well, that makes two of us," Clint agreed, although somewhat more sarcastically.

Steve glowered at him for a second, before looking toward the crosswalk coming up ahead. When they both stopped for the light, Steve made a noise.

"Listen, I know you still have reservations about us being together," he began, a stubborn expression on his face. "There's a past that no one can deny and--"

"Really?" Clint interrupted him. "I don't need a heart to heart, Cap. I just wanted some fresh air… It's up to you who you want to spend your life with," he said lightly and dismissively, not looking at the man. Then he rolled his eyes and starting walking across the street once there was an opening, ignoring the angry neon red hand that said he shouldn't. "If I had a problem with it, I wouldn't still be in the Tower," Clint said, over his shoulder- and though he said it to put Steve's mind at ease, he realized that he truly meant it as well.

He heard the clomp of Steve's boots behind him, a heavy sound that meant Steve was either mad or sulking, and made himself stop once he'd reached the other side of the road.

"Clint, I know you only came back to the Tower as a personal favor to me," Steve started up again.

"I just told you it was fine," Clint's voice grew louder. He really didn't need to talk about this. "I mean… you're the one who believes in fate, right? What kind of a world would it be if you two crazy kids finally got together only to not have things work out?"

Steve was silent for so long that Clint finally turned to face him. Steve's eyes were closed and his head was lowered. He had an almost defeated aura to him, like the shield on his back was weighing him down.

"Steve…" Clint said, his voice wavering softly. He reached out to nudge the man's shoulder.

Steve smirked. "I just worry sometimes, that I'm going to wake up from all of this." He said sadly, as worried blue eyes opened to meet Clint's gaze. "It's not just Tony… You were dead and--"

"I got better. It happens." Clint interrupted Steve once more, not wanting to think about it.

Steve nodded curtly, and then softened. "I just want my family to get along again," he confessed, quietly.

Clint ran a hand over his face, his mask getting in the way. "Yeah," he acknowledged, not certain how else to respond.

The two walked in silence for some time before Clint stopped, having made up his mind about something. They were across the street from the Tower and he was looking up at it, marveling at the fact that it was now his home.

Clint thought for a minute longer, about everything that Steve and Tony had put up with from him. From teaming up with the Black Widow against Iron Man because she was... _hot_, to breaking into the Avengers Mansion and tying up Jarvis as a "resume,"-- it had always been a crazy ride.

"Listen," Clint began, and Steve turned to face him. "I was just a… sex-crazed teenager when I started running around with lethal weapons and calling myself a superhero. And I've seen a whole lot change since then." _Now I'm a sex-crazed adult..._ Clint shook his head. "Even though a lot of things are different, a lot of things are still just how they should be. Like, you're still bossy and Stark is, well Stark is still a dick but… you guys seem to really get each other." Clint's voice grew quiet. He figured that was why it could be so painful when they were on the opposite side of things. They knew how to hurt each other.

Clint raised his head and began walking across the street, "So just stay that way," he continued. "I came back to the Tower, to the Avengers, for you—and I _stayed_ because that's what makes the most sense to me—in trying to be a hero..." He paused. "So let's just leave it at that, okay?" Clint clenched his jaw, feeling way too serious for his own good- he hadn't really felt this way since well, since everything had happened with Bobbi.

"… I thought you didn't want a heart to heart," Steve said softly, after they had made it across the street and he was opening up the Tower door for Clint to go through.

Clint scoffed, rolling his eyes and waved a hand dismissively, "Shut up and get those snacks to Iron Mama."

An annoyed growl was his immediate response. "Don't call him that," Steve said, that irritated tone back in his voice.

Clint just smirked victoriously. _Perfect._

He walked through the Tower door, feeling right at home.

-----

James stood outside of Tony Stark's garage, trying to figure out the nuances to the phone that Stark had given him about a week ago. It was silver and black and beeped too much... He guessed it was a present for keeping the man safe, though Tony had never labeled it as such.

James paused in his quest as he heard the noise that signified that the code to the garage had been entered. He knew that meant that someone would be coming down to see Stark soon. It would probably be Steve.

It was always Steve.

The mystery to how events had unfolded in his life still hadn't laid themselves straight in James' mind, but he knew the bottom line was that it all had to do with Steve. What Steve wanted from him, what Steve expected from him… James remembered feeling torn from expectations, and from memories of a life so long ago it barely felt like his own.

Their relationship had never exactly been an even one. Steve had been the star—Captain America—inspiration and propaganda and worthy of all of the attention—Bucky had been… the kid he'd dragged off to war.

And James still remembered what it was like, all those months ago, almost a year—when Steve had been lost to them and James himself hadn't been very far behind…

But he'd been given a purpose, a hope to keep going—when it would have been so easy to just slip away.

And Steve had given that task, of making sure James didn't disappear, to _Stark_.

Despite his hostilities with the man, Steve had considered him family- and James, even if he hadn't wanted to admit it, had been desperate for family.

That was why he'd busied himself with taking care of those Steve had been forced to leave behind—but he had to admit, while he was thankful for Steve's return on many levels, one had been the subsequent return of the man's shield. James might not have made a bad Captain America, but he wasn't _the_ Captain America. In his heart he knew that only Steve could be.

James knew that while Steve had been gone, he'd taken up a mantle and a dream that wasn't his own, though he'd have given everything he was to preserve it. So with Steve back, James had been thankful for the time it allowed for him to heal himself; time for him to make his own name—not one that had been thrust upon him. Not the Winter Soldier, not Captain America... not even Bucky.

But apparently if you spend too much time alone to try and figure yourself out, Steve Rogers will go all mother hen and make you baby sit his pregnant fiancé…

James had given up on asking why his life was so blessed.

"How long has he been in there?" Steve asked as he let the elevator doors close behind him. James found himself straightening slightly as Steve neared. He chided himself inwardly and made himself relax.

"When did you leave this afternoon?" James asked, folding his arms over his chest and finding the wall behind him.

Steve rolled his eyes slightly at the reply, but then flashed him a grin. "Thanks, James." He said, genuinely. "For all of this. I know it's not exactly what you had in mind when you said you'd team up with me again from time to time."

James tilted his head. The man was thanking him again. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Though honestly, the thought that despite everything James had done as the Winter Soldier, that Steve still wanted him in his family— and trusted him to take care of the future of that family (despite the bizarre circumstances) meant a lot more to James then he could probably even admit to himself.

James lifted his shoulders slightly. "You got Peter to stop calling me, BuckyCap. We're even." He said dismissively, swallowing his emotions.

Steve smiled through a nervous expression. He looked at the grocery bag in his hand and widened his stance a little, looking rather imposing—if one didn't know how to read Steve Rogers when he was worried about something.

"What?" James' question caused Steve's stance to deflate just a little and the man took a breath before lowering the cowl on his uniform.

"Nothing, just… you ready for the Stark company retreat?" Steve asked, his tone practically begging James to please not kill Tony while they're trapped together for five days. "I mean, if you're not up for it…"

James slipped the StarkTech phone he'd still been fiddling with into his pocket and held a curious gaze over the taller man. He was debating whether Steve was more worried about Stark trying to ditch James once there, or really that he'd try to kill the man... Maybe he just didn't want to let Tony out of his sight for that long.

"Can't wait," James replied, in a sarcastically excited tone. "Everything will be fine." He then added, a tad defensive- though, if not for the fact that he knew Steve had plenty of things to get done with Fury, he might have taken him up on the offer he'd nearly given to go in his place.

Not that the baby sitting job itself was… that horrible… and Steve, well the man had been so quick to resume his friendship with Tony- almost like he needed it or things just weren't worth it—that James felt he was in no position to judge. He, like Stark, had his fair share of regrets.

Steve let out a hum. "Course it will," he replied, clapping James on the shoulder, and then wincing slightly when his hand hit metal.

James just laughed. "Right shoulder's more user-friendly," he replied, and Steve simply muttered something, flexing his hand a bit.

Steve then nodded a little as a way of ending their conversation and went to move past James to enter the garage, but as he set off to do so, James shot out an arm to stop him.

"Been meaning to ask you…" he said, lowering his voice slightly, as Steve looked over at him, a touch surprised. "Why are you torturing Tony with a baby shower?"

Steve paused, raising his chin. He studied James for a minute until James honestly couldn't tell if the blond was about to get offended.

Then Steve broke out into a wide grin. "Same reason I asked _you_ to be his bodyguard."

"You hate us." James decided. It came out less then jokingly.

Steve shot him a 'very funny,' look and then sighed. "Because you both _hide_. You in my old apartment and Tony… down here," Steve motioned to the closed garage door.

"And what--" James laughed. "You need us to all be in one place, happy and copacetic?" Steve really was an idealist.

"Hey," Steve smiled again, though it seemed sadder this time. "My family… it's all I've got." He tilted his head slightly at James. "I don't like losing people," he said, clapping James on the right shoulder and walking into Tony's garage, the door closing behind him.

James watched the other man leave and then he looked down at his hands, his left and then his right.

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, his thoughts climbing up from darker places.

-----------

Steve entered the garage and paused to look around, noticing piles of mechanical odds and ends that almost seemed as though they were being sorted, or cleaned. Or sorted and cleaned…

Steve furrowed his brow at the organized mess and finally laid his eyes on Tony.

The man was working on what Steve recognized enough to know was the fabricated design schematics for the new SHIELD helicarrier. He also looked like he was working on Quinjet schematics and the computer monitor to the far right held the upgrades Tony was perpetually giving to the Iron Man armor, despite being unable to suit up for the time being.

"How do you keep track of all of this?" Steve asked him, mostly because he was impressed.

It took Tony a second, but then he looked up at Steve with tired eyes and smirked when he realized who had come into the room.

He stood with a grunt and made his way over. Steve was expecting a welcome, or a hug and kiss, but all he got was Tony swiping the grocery bag from him and a smirk of approval.

Steve sighed a little and laughed under his breath. "Love you, too."

"Hmm?" Tony murmured, ripping open the bag of Doritos.

"Nothing," Steve shook his head and then gesticulated around the room a bit, stopping once his eyes caught sight of the piles of mechanics again. "What's all this?"

"I'm organizing," Tony explained, pretty tight lipped about the entire matter. Steve decided not to question it. Tony had been doing much of the same up in the penthouse, and in his office as well.

"Fair enough," Steve forfeited. "What about that?" he asked, lifting his head towards the monitors that Tony had been looking at when he had walked in.

"That," Tony grinned absently, "I don't know. These people put me in charge of a fortune 500 company. I'm pretty sure the stockholders only put up with me out of fear of change. Which I'm wholly grateful for, don't get me wrong," he said, holding up a finger. "But it can make for a hostile working environment," he added, opening the bag of Oreos and opening up the two halves of one of the cookies. "Apparently I have to make things for them." He shrugged.

"Oh. And I had the wonderful idea to visit SHIELD this morning. Steve if you think that I don't like mornings, please don't teach yoga to Nick Fury," Tony said with a sigh, as he placed a Dorito chip between the two Oreo halves and smushed the cookie back together.

"Tai Chi," Steve automatically corrected, "And trust me, I tried that once. It…" He made a face. "it wasn't one of my better ideas for group morale."

Tony grinned as though he were regarding Steve's antics fondly, before popping the Doreo into his mouth.

"So…" Steve looked back to what Tony had been working on. "I understand the pressure's on for the helicarrier--" he granted.

"Especially for what I asked him to take care of in return," Tony scoffed a little, making another hybrid cookie.

"Right, but why the quinjet and the Iron Man armor?"

Tony looked at Steve like he'd just been slapped in the face.

"Steven, that's not the quinjet," he said, his tone suddenly exasperated.

Steve drew back a little, slightly amused at Tony's reaction. He peered to look at one of Tony's computer monitors a bit closer. It still looked exactly like the quinjet to him. Steve tilted his head. "Oh… of course not," he said, anyway.

Tony glared at him slightly and then shut off the monitor to the computer with the jet schematics.

"That's for the company. Don't worry about it." He said, sitting back down in his chair. Tony took a breath and pointed a thumb at the one monitor he'd left alive. "And I always have the armor up," he said, though Steve knew that.

"Busy busy," Steve admitted, as he sat backwards in a chair next to Tony and leaned his head down on his arms which were crossed in front of him. He looked Tony over and felt a tension in his chest.

"I don't like the fact that you're going to be away from me for five days. Is that pathetic?" Steve finally admitted.

Tony glanced over at him, leaning back in his chair. "Yes," he decided, smirking slightly and making himself another snack.

"It's still true." Steve replied deeply.

"It's just a long weekend." Tony stated solemnly, though Steve could almost bet Tony didn't want to leave either. "And I'll have _James_," Tony said, in a falsely excited tone that pretty much mirrored the one Steve had just heard coming from Bucky.

"You two only butt heads because you're so much alike," Steve submitted.

"Ugh," Tony said, recoiling like he'd just been bitten by a snake. "Take it back."

Steve laughed, but it was sort of true. They were both pragmatic and bull headed and they both felt things harshly… and with their entire heart.

"He'll keep you both safe," Steve said, scooting his chair to be closer to Tony's side. He moved to rub a hand across Tony's stomach.

Steve heard Tony sigh in response, and moved his eyes up from where the baby was, to meet Tony's gaze.

The man's eyes were closed, the glow from the monitor that held the Iron Man armor painting his face a pale blue.

Steve swallowed a sigh of his own. He knew that Tony missed the armor. He knew that Tony missed his independence and being able to wear his old clothes and shoes that weren't two sizes larger then usual. He also knew that Tony never complained… not really. Not when it mattered. He would just smirk in that old self-deprecating manner that he wore like a crumpled business suit and do everything he could to keep his mind busy and help the people around him.

"You're amazing," Steve said, quietly.

Tony just scoffed. "You know what's amazing?" He started lazily. "Junk food. Never appreciated it before."

"Right," Steve smiled, looking at Tony dotingly.

Tony fidgeted a little in his chair, either from a sore back or Steve's attention.

"Seriously, stop that," Tony finally said.

Steve rubbed his hand across Tony's stomach again. "Stop what?" he asked, calmly.

Tony laughed silently to himself. "Never mind," he grinned, looking down at Steve's hand. "I don't know how you put up with me."

Steve smiled softly and lifted his head from the back of the chair, "I find keeping you happy helps," he grinned. "Hence the grocery run," he explained, his smile growing, then it faltered. "I didn't know there were so many kinds of Oreos."

Tony bit his lip. "Good thing I didn't ask for Pop Tarts," he said, with fake concern. He hummed a little, looking at the bag on the table and the snacks before him. "Oh how you spoil me," he commented, running his fingers through Steve's hair.

Steve ignored the Pop Tart comment. He was pretty sure that Peter ate those. And he was happy to help Tony in any way he could. The man really was going through so much. "Well," he smiled, "Anything to keep you from eating ketchup sandwiches."

Tony made a face, his fingers tightening its grip in Steve's hair. "Okay, that was one time. _One_." he said, defensively. "It's not my fault the baby likes ketchup."

"On everything," Steve replied in a way he knew would annoy Tony.

Tony shoved Steve off of him slightly. "That does it. I take back all the nice things I was saying about you in my head."

Steve frowned, wanting to be near him again, "Come on, baby." Steve said, holding his hand out and waiting for the other man to cave.

"Whatever," Tony said dismissively, though he let Steve come closer to him. He sighed. "I'll miss you, too." He finally admitted, returning the kiss Steve was now giving him.

"It'll be just fine when you come back. I'll make sure of it." Steve offered, knowing that Tony was… _concerned_ about telling the world about the baby.

"Hmm, my hero," Tony praised.

Steve smiled, and kissed him again.

------------------


	19. Chapter 6c The Shower

Steve inhaled through his nose and let his breath out in synchronous movement with his arms straightening toward the ground. He wasn't exactly in the gym—but a relaxation exercise was a relaxation exercise. He felt the tension drain from his upper body at least momentarily. But a minute was all he needed, really, because then Tony would be home and that feeling of separation—a nasty ache that crept at his chest and kept him from sleeping—would finally go away.

It had taken only a night for Steve to appreciate how much he had gotten used to Tony's presence. They'd always been together in the mansion, sure, but this was different and Steve found himself missing odd little things…

Like the way Tony always had to use the sink first in the morning, or the way he hogged the blankets at night-- the way he'd bring up 1940 vintage motorcycle shoptalk whenever Steve looked bored so he'd get a smile out of him… or mention his trips to Europe and then ask about how different it had been "back then," just so he could pretend to listen to Steve ramble on while he lost himself in mechanics once more.

Steve even missed the groans and obliterating stares that Tony gave him when the blond woke him up at five in the morning to go down to the gym.

Steve tried to drown out all of these thoughts—with little success—by keeping an ear on the television he'd set blaring at the other end of the penthouse. A quick glance at the clock told him that in less than an hour the official statement that Tony Stark was with child, and that he was in a relationship with Captain America, would become public knowledge. Rumors had already leaked. He would worry about the press conference he'd tried to talk Tony out of going to, later.

The man just didn't understand the normal threshold for human stress…

Steve himself was bustling with a sort of nervous energy. The only thing keeping him from going over the edge was the knowledge that Bucky was there, keeping Tony safe, when he couldn't be.

Steve breathed in deep once again, closing his eyes. Then the bright ding of the elevator doors erased any bit of relaxation left in him, the anxious feeling burning through his skin. He suddenly hoped that James had been successful in getting Tony to come straight up to the penthouse and bypass the Avengers' floor of the Tower, or this reunion might not be such a pleasant one.

Steve looked toward the elevator, staring at his own reflection as it gazed back at him, slightly pitted and warped, frosted in a golden sheen. Steve's own anxiety ridden mirror image slid out of view to reveal a rather worn and tired looking Tony.

Steve shut off the TV with a backwards motion of the remote over his shoulder and was by Tony's side before the man even had the chance to leave the elevator.

"Missed you, too." Tony chuckled as he pushed himself off the back wall, exiting and letting Steve pick up the bags he'd left there. Steve watched as Tony's shoulders lowered and seemed to relax as he surveyed the penthouse. _Home_, Steve figured.

"Well, I did it," Tony announced as he turned back to face Steve-- and Steve knew he meant that he'd told his company about them. Told the world.

"I noticed that," Steve replied, alluding to the one or two news vans that had already come to camp outside the Tower.

He put Tony's bags down as the other man scoffed and ran fingers through rough disheveled hair. Tony went to speak again, but before he could, Steve had his hand on Tony's cheek—touching him, feeling the exaggerated heat of his body since the pregnancy had begun, the texture of his stubble, the feel of his skin.

Tony paused for just a second, but then his hands were on Steve, up across his shoulders, fingers wrapping around the back of his neck. And then a kiss. A long full kiss that had Tony pushing away from Steve to take in air.

"Hmm, you cut your hair," Tony said breathlessly, as though he were trying to pick something to focus on. Steve didn't answer; he just buried himself further into Tony, glad the man was near him again.

"Too long," Steve finally replied, wrapping his arms around Tony to clasp his hands together behind his waist. "You were gone too long." He eyed Tony as if in reprimand, but then tilted his head as he stopped and did a double take, as though looking at his fiancé for the first time since the elevator doors had opened.

"You're so big," Steve projected, his voice holding surprise.

The tired sense of contentment that had settled on Tony's features vanished and he rolled his eyes, giving a frustrated sigh. "I'm going to pretend that this is six months ago and that we're having sex for the first time… and you've just seen me naked." He muttered regally, his eyes closing, his mind no doubt envisioning such a scenario.

Steve smiled shyly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I just… I haven't seen you in so long," He repeated, staring Tony over.

"A week, Steve," was the response. "Not even a week." Tony grumbled a little, leaning against Steve's hands that were clasped behind his back, knowing that Steve would support him. He opened his eyes. "What's with the reporters already being here?" Tony asked calmly, though Steve could have imagined worry lacing his words, "It was hell getting into the Tower," he continued, his face and shoulders relaxing despite his statement.

Steve only murmured his commiserations, confirming in his head that Tony thought the increased activity in the Tower had to do with the breaking news, and nothing to do with today's baby shower.

"That's right." Steve replied, looking out to the edges of the room. "I'm out of the closet, aren't I?" He grimaced through his smile, the gravity of what was happening, and what had already happened, beginning to hit him with a stronger force.

Tony lulled his head back a bit to look at Steve through heavy-lidded eyes. "You have little wings on your uniform," he said sleepily, "I don't think anybody's really surprised."

Steve chuckled, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Funny," he chided, pulling Tony in closer to him. His brow narrowed in concern. Tony's eyes were slightly bloodshot. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Feel like conquering the world," Tony smirked, his tongue sounding thick in his mouth. "Or at least taking a nap on top of it." He amended. Tony made a face at the reaction that got in return. "Don't give me that look, Steve. I just spent a week with Bucky as a roommate."

Steve gave him a smile of support, widening his stance and shifting his center of gravity to keep them both upright. "You mean James didn't make you sleep eight hours a night?" he teased, as Tony laid his arms along Steve's own.

Tony scoffed. "We didn't kill each other. Can't you just take the little victories and move on?"

"While I am whole heartedly grateful that you did not kill Bucky," Steve started, hissing through a sigh. "I know that we decided on eight--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Tony interrupted him. "Save the nagging, my bags aren't even unpacked yet." Tony grinned, looking down at them. "And luckily I can go to sleep right now," he added.

"Oh," Steve made a guilty sort of face. "…about that."

"…what?" Tony asked, sounding slightly more awake.

Steve felt the back of his neck heat up.

"Steve?" Tony asked more briskly, and Steve's eyes fell away from his gaze.

Tony straightened up on his feet, no longer leaning back against Steve's arms for support.

"What?" he tried again, "What aren't you telling me?"

The living area of the Avengers' Tower was alive and buzzing. The guests who had come a bit early had been put to work finishing any last minute details—the poor dears—and Jan was now looking over the grand space as though surveying her empire as they waited for the guest of honor to make his way down from the penthouse.

The decorations were subtle but affective, Jan decided. The pillows added to the couches and chairs were a pale pink and blue, and there was a buffet table and a gift table—both of which held a healthy smattering of pastel confetti.

Jan didn't want anyone to feel overwhelmed. Sure, she wanted the floor to say _Baby Shower_, but today was more about the camaraderie and support then the excuse given to throw the party.

Jan put her hands on her hips and nodded at the expanse in general. Everything was ready, she decided.

Televisions were determinedly turned off, because the news that Tony Stark was pregnant had officially broken. There was now an encampment of news reporters outside and in the lobby of Stark Tower-- so much so, that guests were arriving via the roof and other more secretive ways. It was just a slight hiccup in the larger plans of throwing an Avenger party though, and Jan was trying to not let it faze her.

Sue had gone back home about a half hour ago, to collect the rest of the Fantastic Four and her children, after helping set up the hall. MJ had been buzzing around May and Jarvis who had retreated into the kitchen to take care of the cake, of which Peter had already taken fifty pictures… Jan bit her lower lip.

She spotted Peter as he finished setting up his photography equipment. He was trying to get all of his angles covered and seemed to be using some of his spider tricks to set up the cameras. He'd also set up a tripod in front of the chair Jan had said was reserved for Tony. She gave it a skeptical look.

She knew that Tony had promised Peter pictures to give to Jameson, and the exclusive rights to the new Stark family photos, so the man could hopefully resume his job at the Bugle—but she wasn't sure if Tony had meant photos to a baby shower that he had no previous knowledge of…

She shrugged that one off, deeming it something to be bothered with later, and decided that other then the obvious this was honestly feeling like an old mansion party. Jan smiled a little at the thought but then soon found herself scowling, as her ruminations came closer to reality. Clint was at the gift table, switching cards between presents.

She was about to say something, when James—who had been helping Luke go through presents and check them over for their safety level ever since he'd come home to the Tower with Tony about an hour ago— glowered at Clint until the blond rolled his eyes, seemingly giving up on his prank, and sauntered off toward the flat screen in the living room.

Jan just shook her head at the scene, taking the opportunity to monitor the games that had been set up in the entertainment center. She had to keep the Young Avengers, and Clint apparently, busy somehow. And Logan had seemed to drag along—or perhaps couldn't get rid of—_or maybe Beast had insisted upon bringing_—several X-children. One of whom, was a golden colored boy, and another a type of lizard child.

Jan found herself wondering if she could make an outfit to match his complexion when the elevator dinged and she turned to see who it was. The doors dissolved and there was Tony Stark, being fashionably late, with Steve Rogers by his side.

Jan looked to Steve to gauge Tony's mood. She cringed inwardly.

Steve was wearing a polo shirt that looked too much like the American flag to be tasteful, but he looked happy enough—so hopefully the two were at least still engaged.

Tony himself was grinning broadly, but that could mean anything. It wasn't much like he wore his heart out on his sleeve. Jan couldn't complain though… he was wearing an outfit she'd designed for him. Good boy. At least he still appreciated good fashion. It was a party after all.

He was wearing a rich brown top with a hunter green button up shirt over it- which he'd left unbuttoned, but had folded the sleeves up to his elbows.

He was also wearing his sunglasses-- which he took off to wink at her and tucked into the neck of his shirt. He looked tired, but it was sweet that he was trying to hide it. She'd better get things started right away.

"Welcome to the party, Tony." She grinned, cooing at him unabashedly, glad that he didn't seem upset for the subterfuge. "Surprise."

Tony entered the room as smooth as silk.

"I can't believe you did this to me," Tony said, kissing Jan and looking about him. "Whoops, I mean _for_ me." He corrected with a smirk.

Jan just bobbed her head a little and didn't look a shred ashamed for the secret she had kept. "The good Captain is just as guilty," she amended.

"Oh, I'll deal with Steve later," Tony bit back, looking at the subtle hints of pink and blue ornamentation. "I guess the place doesn't look horrible," he complimented back-handedly and Jan wrinkled her nose at him for a second before turning to announce that their guest of honor had arrived.

Tony smiled, putting up a hand in greeting, and wished that he could disappear from the room. But as he looked around himself, amused at the life in the Tower, he realized it was… nice. It reminded him of the something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

There were X-kids and Young Avengers playing video games in the corner and people he hadn't seen in a while all mingling. No one was just openly staring at him… Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Jan rolled her eyes slightly and then grinned. "Well goody," She preened. "I'm glad you approve, and I'm also glad you took my advice on what to wear," she fussed, fixing his collar slightly.

"Of course," Tony said, standing up a bit straighter, though it hurt his back to do so. "Everything else I own just makes me look like I stuffed a basketball under my shirt." He huffed a little at the thought.

Jan tapped his stomach delicately. "Oh now, it's not that bad. Just wait another few months," she said, as though her words were meant to reassure him.

Tony stared at her incredulously before turning to his right to look for Steve only to find that the man had left his side. He spun the other way and spotted him near a rather large pile of presents on a table in the corner of the hall. "I think he went off to help James with safety detail," Jan commented, noticing where Tony was looking.

"Course he did," Tony said in reply. Jan just gave him a sassy smile. "Come on, Tony. Let's give those feet a rest," she said, noticing that for as fashionable as he was trying to be, he wasn't wearing shoes.

She lead him toward the middle of the room and into a plush recliner he'd forgotten how much he'd spent on, but was so glad that he had once he sat back in it. He sighed contentedly, lifting his feet for a second before looking up at Jan pensively, as though again remembering that she was there.

"You're so adorable pregnant," she commented in a sing-song voice, as she pulled two glasses off of a tray making its rounds and handed him one of them. It was filled with water. He tilted his head at her and was about to give a snarky reply when she smiled again through designer lip gloss.

"Hold that thought," she commanded, holding up a finger, then bristled away to work a path towards the kitchen.

Tony waited there for her to come back or for something to happen, but after a few minutes he started to strike up conversations with the people around him that he hadn't seen in a while. He talked to Jen Walters, Matt Murdock, Henry Hellrung-- getting lost in old times.

But Tony was interrupted in his socializing when he heard the clatter of a food tray hitting the floor and noticed that Steve and James were man-handling _Deadpool_ towards an exit. "Hey, come on," Deadpool yelled from across the way. "Stark!" he said when Tony caught his eye. "Looking pretty knocked up, too bad about those fangirls, huh?" he asked.

Steve mouthed 'don't ask,' towards Tony as James continued to usher Wade closer to the elevators.

Steve left James to it and joined Tony near the recliner. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Deadpool made it up to the top of the Tower and left a gift," Steve seemed to find himself admitting. He looked over his shoulder to where James had gone. He seemed wired for a fight.

"And then he decided to leave?" Tony asked Steve calmly, as he heard a yelp from near the elevators.

"Yes," was Steve's answer, as they both heard James curse in Russian but continued to ignore it.

"That's nice," Tony nodded and kept himself composed, though he could feel his tender stomach begin to churn. But really, where else could he feel reasonably safe from anything that might happen other then in this Tower full of superheroes?

Tony rolled his shoulder and looked at Steve out of the corner of his eye. "How did you keep all of this a secret from me?" he asked, once he was sure Deadpool wasn't about to make a reappearance.

He supposed he logically understood _why_ Steve had done this: to keep his mind off of everything that had happened at the Stark Industries retreat; the fact that the whole world knew about the baby—which now included Deadpool, and others who were honestly worse.

And it wasn't that he wasn't appreciative, he just didn't understand all of this pomp and circumstance. He supposed Steve had a lot to do with the matter. No one wanted to let Steve down. Hell, the man had even been able to talk Tony—three outfits and a shower later— to come down to this party in the first place…

"Jan threatened me." Steve joked, but Tony didn't feel amused at the moment.

"I must be a glutton for punishment," he muttered, which had Steve rubbing his back as though hoping he could _will_ the tension away from Tony.

"Don't think of it that way. These are people who care about you and they really want to show it." Steve leaned in closer to him. "Superheroes, all together, with something to celebrate instead of ward off? It's a good day."

Tony laughed. "They're all just here for the food and the pool, aren't they?"

Steve smirked, "The gym's not bad either," he commended. And then both men looked up when they heard a commotion coming from the kitchen. Tony laughed in response to a large cake emerging from the swinging doors. He winced then when the baby kicked him, apparently annoyed that he was moving around too much. Tony just made it look like he was adjusting his position in the recliner to get a better look at the cake.

It had three tiers. The bottom, largest, layer was a pastel blue. The middle tier was a pale pink—and the top was left stark white, with delicate spun sugar baby shoes molded as the topper. It was being held by Carol and Clint. They centered it on a table at the end of the hallway and then Jan popped out of the kitchen and made herself the center of attention by tapping the glass in her hand.

"Alright," Jan's voice was more permeating then one would assume, given her slight frame. "This is going to be short and sweet because we can all already see how Tony is eyeing that cake," The room laughed and Tony scowled, blinking slowly, though he probably had been.

"This one is for Steve and Tony- but mostly Tony because he had to look like me for a moment or two and now he's in the family way," she grinned unevenly, looking down at her glass. "But honestly, we know he's going to make a wonderful father, they both are." She was quiet for a minute. "Things have been tough for a while, I won't lie, but we're all here together now." She looked somber for a brief moment before she quickly lit up again, "Sure, some of us were _forced_ here more then others, but the Avengers are a family. They always have been. So, in honor of the newest addition…" Jan grinned behind her raised glass. "Enjoy the party!"

A chorus of cheers deafened all other noises for a moment and Tony waved Steve off so he could be the first person to cut into the cake. Tony, meanwhile, slipped his sunglasses back on. He watched as Clint offered to cut up the rest of the dessert and Jarvis was there to serve.

Jan made it back to Tony's side before Steve did, and looked down at her teammate and smiled. Tony glanced at her over his sunglasses and swallowed before nodding. He raised his water to her. "Thank you," he said, despite himself. Jan smiled graciously.

"Of course, what are friends for?" She asked, bending down and kissing his cheek. Tony sighed. He remembered this feeling—they hadn't had an Avengers party in the Tower since the war, not one that hadn't seemed forced or painful or had invited the entire roster—this was different.

Time went by and people went about chatting, eating cake, playing games… Clint and Peter had joined in on the Rock Band tournament the Young Avengers and X-Kids had started- it felt good to see so many connections between the kids being made.

And then Jan had somehow started a game of _Never Have I Ever_ using pastries instead of drinks.

The first challenge had been, "Never have I ever fought crime in my underwear," and everyone soon learned that MJ had knocked out a thief in the middle of a modeling shoot for Victoria Secret because the bra she had been wearing held a diamond inlay.

Steve had even played, panicking, and saying that he'd never saved a puppy in mortal peril.

Tony just snickered and grabbed a bite of cheesecake, while Peter had yelled at Steve about giving the man a freebie.

The game hadn't lasted much longer then when Sue had offered, "Never have I ever romantically kissed someone of my own gender."

A round of baby name guessing started after that, prompted by Beast, who suggested Henry, regardless of gender. Hellrung and Pym agreed.

Reed just came up with… well… Reed and Susan—which elicited a hug and a smile from Sue, but not much from anyone else.

Clint voted for Maria and Belby, because Tony was a Momma's boy and Steve was old. Or old-fashioned, but mostly just old.

Peter had quipped that Tony would probably, if not go for Maria, go for a name that sounded close enough to Maria without the risk of being teased. That, and Belby was the best name ever.

The two were clearly getting along far too well.

Even the YA and the X-kids had a turn with the baby names, which had Clint and Luke asking what the golden boy's powers were. For some reason they felt as though they could use him and his healing abilities on the Avengers Team. Something to do with the rate in which they seemed to go through doctors…

Wolverine had moved Josh back possessively behind his peers, while the golden boy had muttered that he wasn't a possession, a flicker of black dots trailing around his head, a look of wry amusement on his face.

Tony had promised to ask Emma about it, if he remembered.

The conversation about baby names devolved at that point, and was either a name that started with the letter 'M' and ended in a vowel, or simply made fun of the fact that Steve would name his child _Justice Freedom Screaming Eagles America_.

A flashbulb of light burned its afterimage into Tony's retinas as Peter announced he was finished with another role of film.

Tony nodded and blinked, stretching his arms up over his head. He'd been in the center of it all for a while now. Meanwhile, Jan clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention and jovially announced that it was time for presents.

Which prompted Peter to shout, "No, wait please I need photos of this too—and the tripod was set, so I don't get why the camera isn't hooking in. I mean Jameson will murder me so much, you won't be able to tap me for babysitting duty when you and Steve want a night in. And I understand that you have the Young Avengers for that-" A chorus of _'hey's_ from the YA followed that line of reasoning by Peter. "But it will only take a minute…" he trailed off.

MJ, who had seen Tony's scrunched expression at Peter's rambling, chose to speed things up and with a deft move got the camera on the tripod. Peter just shook his head and grinned at her.

Tony made another face. "Ready now?" he finally asked the man, to get him to stop fawning over his wife. Peter snapped out of it and nodded, standing ready with steady hands at the camera.

"Good. Here you go, you two." Jan went first and handed Tony a thick, slightly foldable, present in bright red wrapping paper.

Tony smirked as he ripped open Jan's gift.

It looked like a magazine or a catalogue.

He regarded it curiously and then thumbed through the pages to find design after design of clothes for baby girls and baby boys. "Anything you boys want just let me know." Jan said, with a brilliant smile.

Tony gently grinned at the pages of clothing, as Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "That's amazing Jan, thank you," he said, since Tony couldn't at the moment. Jan responded with another smile.

Tony simply nodded and took a few breaths. This was going to be a long night if he choked up at all of the gifts… He bit his tongue to keep from being a basket case.

Steve traded the catalogue for the next present from the YA, continuing to look through the magazine's pages, probably already picking out his choices.

The Young Avengers explained that Kate got her father's subsidiary toy company to make a set of plastic figures, including Captain America, Iron Man, and a small baby wrapped in a flag blanket that could be held by either parent. The best part, according to Cassie, was the musical recording button on the shield, where everyone was surprised to hear the soft timbre of Steve's voice singing, "You Are My Sunshine."

Steve blushed, "How did you? I – was that from working on the nursery?"

Wiccan grinned and replied, "Magic" followed by his boyfriend poking him and the reluctant admittance of "and camera's everywhere."

Clint got Tony a shirt that said, "I'm not fat, I'm just knocked up" and another one that read "Relax, it's not yours." Tony sighed, but inwardly laughed.

Peter and MJ gave Tony a mix CD full of songs that all of the Avengers had helped to pick out-- one from each person-- so that the baby could listen to everyone's favorite tunes. Peter had said the idea had started out as a CD of Mozart, because Mozart made babies smart, and it had just sort of gone down hill from there...

Tony was a little less emotional by the end of that, because it was more hilarious then anything to look at some of the song choices people had made.

Next, Tony held a red and black bundle. He was prepared for the worst, but when he opened it there was a Deadpool labeled baby outfit which... was surprisingly cute, safe and not at all filled with C4, so… color him surprised.

There was also a post-it note attached stating 'one free rescue' and another with 'Agency X hereby declares it will not accept any business regarding the murder and/or kidnapping of your child.' This, when all was said and done, was quite a thoughtful gift.

Tony grinned and handed the post-its to Steve, "We should keep them somewhere safe."

Steve took the gift and the sticky notes from Tony and handed them to James. Tony couldn't make out what Steve whispered to the man, but it was probably something to do with a battery of scientific tests to be run on the clothing, or an order just to burn it altogether.

Tony didn't mind the thought of either option; as long as they kept the no killing or kidnapping order.

He smiled as he rubbed his hand across his eyes and moved a little in the chair, trying to get his back in a good position. He wanted to raise the foot bar on the chair and recline it a little because his feet were killing him, but he couldn't make himself do it in front of all of these people.

He'd been through worse pain, tougher slower aches, so he simply waited for the next gift-- which came from an interesting trio. Tony laughed at Beast, whose arms were not so subtly around both Simon and Carol's shoulders.

The present was thoughtful. It was a children's book series on heroes and a little X insignia clip with a pacifier attached. There was also a small child-sized pair of red sunglasses.

Beast grinned, "We pooled our resources to try and come up with the best gift- and wound up merely wrapping three separate things in the same package. It works for us though."

Peter may have coughed... or may have made a comment to Clint along the lines of 'TMI.'

After that, the Fantastic Four explained that their gift was the crib, and it was already up in the nursery but _no_ Tony could not see it yet.

Luke and Jessica presented Tony with a small stuffed animal. They said that it was a Red Panda that Danni had picked out. It had a small yellow cape on, and spread across the cape was the splotched painted blue handprint of what the Cage's told Tony was Danielle's contribution to the gift. Steve and Tony both promised to put it in the crib in the nursery.

A few more gifts later and it looked as though the sea of presents had been swum.

Tony still wasn't quite sure of how to take this evening. There were people here that he honestly thought would never speak to him again let alone allow themselves to live in his home once more and then shower him with... anything. He felt uneasy and unworthy, and didn't know how to make those feelings go away.

Steve seemed to notice... he always seemed to notice lately, and sat down beside him. "Isn't this great?" he asked with a grin.

Tony took a breath that didn't quite fill his lungs, shut his eyes slightly as a kick in his stomach got the best of him, and then relaxed into his own easy smirk. "Best friends a guy could ask for." Tony said, smoothly. "Thank you everybody, really."

"So, last gift then," Steve announced, taking a small blue box from his pocket. "Here," he said, handing it over to Tony.

Tony took the leather case in his hand and turned the box over in his fingers. He'd thought that Steve's present to the baby was the nursery and so he looked at Steve with a quizzical glare.

"Pepper finally helped me pick it out," Steve said, turning a little red and looking over at the woman who nodded to him supportively. "I know it's not exactly traditional, but I couldn't overcome the urge to get it for you." Steve explained as Tony finally opened the box.

It wasn't fancy, it wasn't ostentatious- it was a plain and sincere, like Steve. A ring. An engagement ring. The one that he hadn't had when he had proposed to Tony all those months ago in his office. An effortless band that shown a silver-white in the light.

Tony tried to breathe for a second and then leaned forward in his chair, tears forming in his eyes. "Damnit, Steve. In front of everybody?" Tony managed, as Steve moved to be kneeling in front of him as he sat, calmly taking down gulps of air in the chair.

Steve looked at him compassionately. "Well, I already knew your answer and I didn't know what else to get you," he admitted, running his hand along Tony's knee, trying to be comforting. "Come on, Tony." Steve said, softly.

Tony finally looked up, despite a few tears falling down his face and he glanced over to Pepper like she'd betrayed him. Then he met Steve's eyes and held his hand out for the ring to be slipped on his finger.

It was tight, Tony's fingers were getting swollen and it wouldn't fit for very much longer, but Tony ignored that and moved towards Steve to kiss him. "Asshole," he said, right before their lips met, and a camera snapped in rapid succession.

Tony turned slowly to Peter, "Really?"

Peter shrugged, "Exclusive, do you want Jameson to swat me?"

Tony just shook his head, rippling laughter and tears, and ignored Peter to continue kissing Steve. The band on his finger was an odd sensation.

The party was officially over and had been deemed a success.

The X-Kids had long since been dragged home by Logan. The Young Avengers were on their own floor and Jarvis was cleaning up-- Mary Jane and May were helping him. Peter was fiddling with his photography equipment while soft music from the Not!Mozart mix played in the background. Jan had dragged Hank Pym off to dance.

Steve had tried to get Tony to dance with him when the music had started about twenty minutes ago, but the man had protested, wobbling slightly, and the two had since retreated to the couch where Steve had made Tony put up his feet.

He was almost certain that the man had fallen asleep about two minutes later, which was permeated by the soft snores that he could now hear.

Steve tapped Tony's stomach softly in time with the music, while going through the _Jan Catalogue_ with his free hand. The party had been a nice reprieve, just as it had been designed to be, and Steve would be forever thankful for it.

Tony winced slightly in his sleep and Steve looked at him off handedly. Tony didn't move again after that, but Steve continued to study him regardless for another minute before going back to the baby clothes.

He knew that Tony had realized that this party was for his own peace of mind as much as it had been for Tony himself, but that was okay. Tony had seemed to enjoy it and so had the other Avengers. He knew that Tony had always thought that _Steve_ was the one who kept all of the Avengers together—but it was events like this that kept them a family.

He almost hated to go back to reality. Everything was different now, even though it hadn't truly hit them yet. But… Steve knew that they would be just fine if they faced everything together.

Steve felt Tony move again, a hand shooting up to his stomach. Steve put the catalogue down and moved his palm up Tony's leg soothingly. Tony made a noise and Steve could feel Mary Jane stop cleaning to look over at the two of them on the couch.

"Tony?" Steve asked him when Tony moved again and made another little groaning sound.

"He's been doing that all night," MJ announced. "The wincing. I didn't want to say anything at the party and he seemed alright but…" she tapered off and Steve offered her a sympathetic look, slightly dismayed by the fact that he himself hadn't noticed it if it had in fact been going on all night.

"Kid just doesn't like this song I guess," Tony said, in a just awake haze, though he hadn't moved from the ball he was still curled up in on the couch. Steve wasn't convinced, and he knew that Mary Jane, Peter and Jarvis who were all looking at him now, weren't convinced either.

"We're getting Henry McCoy," Mary Jane stated, like nothing would change her mind on the matter.

"What?" Tony said, looking like he was forcing himself to sit up. "No," Tony said calmly. "Mary Jane," He added, in his negotiating voice.

"Nothing is happening to that baby under my watch." MJ declared. "Now where is he? Did he go home?" She asked, looking slightly in a panic.

Steve was concerned too. He tried to remember where the man had gone.

Then he saw Peter rub the back of his neck. "Uh… I think I saw Beast go off with Simon towards Carol's room a little while ago." Everyone was silent for a minute.

"Well, come on, then." Mary Jane said forcefully, looking around herself for reinforcements.

"Hank, help Steve talk Tony into going down to your lab and I'll go get Henry," Jan said, as though steeling herself to go into battle. Pym nodded and Steve found the man was by his side.

Jan and Mary Jane left the room.

"I'm fine." They all heard Tony say again. "The baby's just... awake."

"Mary Jane said that you've been hurting all evening." Hank pointed out and Steve listened to Tony sigh. He started rubbing the other man's back. Tony didn't look over to him.

"I've been doing this all week. I didn't see you all worried about it then." Tony mumbled off to himself, closing his eyes to what Steve figured was another shot of pain.

"You've been on a business trip," Hank countered to that one, folding his arms across his chest at Tony.

"It's been happening for a few days?" Steve asked of his fiancé, with a vexed air about him. Tony finally turned his head to Steve. He looked too tired to argue about all of the attention anymore and he simply nodded.

"But I'm fine." Tony reasoned. "Big party, lots of commotion. Don't they call pregnancy a condition for a reason?" he joked.

But despite Tony's assurances, he let them whisk him off to Hank's lab, just a floor below.

And Steve had had to wait outside again, though he could see Tony through the glass windows if he strained his neck.

The three of them were in there for less then an hour, but it felt like much longer. Finally, Beast came out of the lab and addressed the waiting room at large.

"We've all had a bit of a scare this evening." Beast started, and Steve stood tall and straight in front of him. "But everything is fine." Beast added, motioning to Steve specifically.

"It just appears our little one is taking a bit after one of their daddies in particular, and Tony's body is adjusting to the onset." Beast smiled with his eyes.

"He's not going to miscarry?" MJ then asked, with a hopeful tone, and Steve felt his insides coil like being wrapped up by a snake at her question. Is that what she'd been thinking?

"We wouldn't let that happen, my dear friend." Henry assured, as he stayed with Jarvis and Peter and MJ and Jan for any other questions and let Steve go inside the lab to be with Tony.

Steve had practically dashed to Tony's side, passing Hank on the way. Tony was on a lab table, putting his shirt back on, but in the few seconds that he saw, Steve was alarmed to find a smattering of bruises along Tony's stomach.

"See, I told you that I was fine," Tony said, noticing Steve and looking at him with half-closed eyes.

"Tell me why," Steve beseeched, having left the waiting room before Beast's full explanation. "Tell me why you're fine."

Tony got down off the lab table they'd put him on. He wavered slightly to find his balance and Steve rushed to help him.

Tony laughed at his totter.

"All of this just means that the baby is strong and healthy. Nothing wrong at all," he said, as Steve guided Tony along the back of the lab to another set of elevators so they could go up to the penthouse and Tony could finally get some real rest.

Steve thought about that. "Too strong," He soon realized. "The baby's too strong?"

"No," Tony said, waving a hand. "Not for a kid that has a little super soldier in them," he smirked.

Steve took a breath. A baby with the SSS in a person who shouldn't be pregnant in the first place… He watched Tony, worry etched on his face.

Tony didn't seem to notice, or he was too tired to deal with Steve's concern and they rode the elevator in silence, Tony leaning against Steve as though completely relaxed-- like nothing had even happened.

They made their way into the penthouse, and then into the bedroom where Tony grunted happily and collapsed on the bed.

Steve just kept up his surveillance of the man as Tony flipped onto his back and raised his left hand in front of his face, looking at his engagement ring.

"Thank you, Steve. For tonight. For this." He looked at his ring for another second and then lifted his hand out as a motion for Steve to join him in bed. Steve obliged and kneeled over him, looking down at those muffled blue eyes that were still fighting off sleep.

"The Avengers felt like a family again tonight and if you hadn't dragged me down there I would have missed it," Tony then said, his hand running down Steve's cheek. Steve opened his mouth to speak but Tony put a finger up to Steve's lips, silencing him. Steve sat back on his legs. They didn't have to talk about how much that meant to Steve. Tony already knew.

Then Tony sighed. "Ugh, it's 11pm, way past my bedtime," he teased himself, working to undo his pants and slipping them off so he was just wearing his boxers and two layers of shirts.

He worked one off but then seemed to get exhausted through trying to take off the undershirt and simply fell back against the pillows and shut his eyes.

"Night," Steve said, standing from the mattress and tossing a blanket over Tony. He picked up after the sleeping man, putting his clothes in the hamper, before getting ready to sleep himself.

When Steve was finished he walked over to his side of the bed and slipped under the covers, trying his best not to disturb Tony. He gazed at the man who was snoring softly, completely passed out.

Steve ran his hand over the fabric and sheets of Tony's raised belly, humming softly as he did. "Hey little one," Steve said to the baby, whispering through Tony's snores. "We all can't wait until you're ready to join us," he smiled softly, then looked up at Tony's face for a second.

He sighed, his forehead creasing in concern. He looked back to Tony's stomach, pressed his lips to Tony's belly and then pulled away.

"You be careful with your dad," Steve said, to the baby. "He's tough, but he needs a break every once in a while." Steve continued. "Okay?" Silence greeted him as an answer.

"Kid can't hear you," Tony's voice cracked with sleep.

Steve looked up at him bashfully. "Yes they can. Babies can hear noises at 20 weeks and you're at 23."

Tony laughed, "Last time I give you baby books," he said, beckoning for Steve to come up closer to the head of the bed. "They might hear you but they don't understand English," Tony admonished, as Steve moved in bed, laying along Tony's side and wrapping an arm around him.

"Granted," Steve acknowledged. "But it makes me feel better," he admitted.

Tony murmured something incoherent, drifting back off to sleep, and Steve watched him breathe deeply, in and out, his stomach rising and falling, before finally letting his own eyes close.

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	20. Chapter 6d Until We Meet Again

Moth- 28- Chapter 6.4- Until We Meet Again

Tony sat at his workbench; his attention divided among his many tasks as usual. His feet were propped up on the table in front of him and he hummed along as track four of the mix Peter had put together played proudly from the laptop he had settled on his belly, the melody echoing throughout the garage.

The clack of a few more computer keys sounded as Tony finished up what he had been working on. Then he sat there waiting for the song to come to a close, the brief notion that it would be rude to leave the track mid stride if the baby was listening to it pervading his otherwise logical thought process.

Tony scoffed at himself, but still… he waited for the song to end, tapping a hand on his stomach to the beat.

As track five started to play, he finally set his computer aside and tenderly placed his feet on the floor, squeezing his eyes shut. He rotated in his chair, hearing a satisfying pop in his spine. Then he winced with a sigh, feeling sore for staying still so long. He should know better by now.

Tony looked at his watch. With his work at a good stopping point, he figured it was time to get upstairs before something else sucked him in. He stood with a little effort and made his way to the back of the garage where he kept the pills he had to take to keep up with the pregnancy. Their numbers seemed to increase each time he counted, annoying insidious little things that he always seemed to forget about and then got yelled at for. Luckily, he wouldn't have to take them for much longer. He scrubbed a hand over his face and then took another swig of the water bottle he had grabbed, rolling his eyes at the irony of having to take iron pills.

The music from his laptop played as a kind of soundtrack to his closing up shop; his making sure that there wasn't anything on in the garage that couldn't go unsupervised.

It had been about a week since the baby shower—even less so since the press conference, which… had taken even more convincing to get Steve to agree to since the baby had decided it had aspirations in becoming a linebacker and was practicing already. But now there were no more secrets, and there was nothing to cover up. Nothing he had to keep on top of when he honestly had other, more important matters on his mind.

It was freeing in a way, but a new set of ordeals had already cropped up.

He'd had to turn down Oprah… twice.

No one turns down Oprah.

And there hadn't been this many paparazzi trailing him since he'd come back from California and finally shaved his beard... Plus, true to form, America seemed more preoccupied with the fact that Steve was _gay_ then any other aspect of their relationship.

Tony just kept telling himself that soon this too would pass and, just as America's waning interest had always benefited him before, he'd be able to go outside the Tower walls without being mobbed.

Dream big, Stark.

Tony finished up his sweep of the lab, stopping short when he eyed his suit of armor.

It glinted back at him with a sullen glare.

Tony suddenly felt guilty.

It had never looked so neglected. By neglected, he supposed he meant unused. There was something blasphemous about leaving it inactive for almost four months, though he did try to work on it as often as he could-- whenever he thought of something to implement or upgrade-- though that was proving more difficult to do considering neither of them had seen the sky in so long.

Tony looked down.

He couldn't see his toes.

"Only for you, kid," he whispered, with a hand to his stomach. Walking over to the red and gold paint, he ran his fingers across the smooth, cold metal and closed his eyes, the feeling of flight almost tangible in his memories.

The slight thrill of a thermal dropping him before the armor could compensate, then flying faster then the speed of sound, only to free fall with eighties rock pounding in his ears… He smiled, flexing his hand as he would in the air.

"You miss it." Steve's voice.

"Hmmm," Tony breathed, as he heard the clunk of Steve's boots stride up behind him.

Tony stayed glued to the spot, holding onto the thoughts of flight for as long as he was able.

"I used to think of things I missed… made a list of what I was looking forward to doing," Steve continued, as he neared. Tony could tell he was talking about the war.

Steve slipped his arms under Tony's and clasped his hands together at the front.

"So… let's see. You've told me before," Steve said, beginning to slowly rock side to side a bit with Tony, as though trying to remember a previous conversation. "Flying in the armor, defending the city against overgrown lizards and space aliens while Jarvis baby-sits, being able to use Extremis…" He kissed the back of Tony's neck. "Did I forget anything you're looking forward to?"

Tony's fingers fell from the suit of armor to the place where Steve's hands met. His eyes were still closed and he thought about the question as he felt the warmth of Steve's skin under his light touch.

"Holding her… him… in my arms and promising that I'll always be there. Telling them that I'm a better, more complete person for having them in my life, and hoping that they won't ever give up on me, because… I won't give up on being better everyday, for them." Tony decided, and he felt Steve's grasp on him falter, his grip around his waist slipping, ending in Steve spinning Tony in his arms to face him.

Tony blinked his eyes open in surprise. He grinned. "And drinking coffee…" he added softly.

Steve gazed upon him with a look that Tony had never seen before and he couldn't place the emotion it held.

He filled his lungs to speak but then Steve kissed him. It was a kiss that held much more passion then Tony had been expecting and it honestly took his breath away.

"Well then," Tony said contentedly, his head spinning a little as Steve parted from him and turned a deeper shade of red. Tony just smirked and moved his hands along Steve's jaw line and up into his hair, short and thick against his fingers.

"What are you doing down here anyway?" Tony thought to ask, moving in to bite Steve's lip.

"Just came to check on you," Steve murmured as he pulled Tony possessively closer until his belly met Steve's torso, doing just what Tony knew he would do if he touched him that way.

Tony liked knowing how to turn Steve on.

"So, you've checked. Am I okay?" Tony asked him, liking that the reply was a simple nod and another kiss.

Tony hid his pleasure, instead leading Steve over to the garage's entry way and opening the door with a noncommittal stance.

He winked at Barnes who was reading a book in the corner of the hallway and waited for Steve to join him in the elevator—his super soldier was definitely twice as red as before.

James, for his part, simply continued to read.

---------------------

Steve woke from the penthouse bed a few hours later to the humming of his SHIELD comm. alerting him to the fact that Nick Fury needed his services. He quickly and quietly got out of bed and shut the noise off before glancing back to Tony.

The man was still asleep, curled up on his side—blissfully unaware. Steve was grateful for that and snuck into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him before turning on the light.

He radioed back to let Fury know he'd gotten the call, getting an earful of Nick yammering on about the mission for his troubles before he shut the comm. off once again.

Steve grabbed his uniform and dressed, then went to grab the bag he always had prepared to go. He knew that he should probably just leave the bag at command, but he didn't want Fury to forget that he had a place to be outside of SHIELD. Captain America was certainly up for defending his country, but Steve Rogers knew that he had the greatest reason in the world to come back. He had a family to go home to now.

Steve paused in getting ready to go and spun back to the mirror that was above his dresser. He plucked a sonogram picture that he'd placed there and tucked it safely into his pack as well. He slung the bag over his shoulder and then looked back over to Tony.

The man hadn't moved in bed but his eyes were open, staring at him silently as he prepared to leave.

"Hey," Steve said quietly, his words filling the distance between them.

"Fury playing your song?" Tony asked. Steve couldn't tell if Tony's tone was disappointed and resolved or just sleep deprived so he simply nodded in return. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Couple of days tops."

Tony tucked an arm under his head to prop himself up, and he held out his other hand hoping for Steve to come closer. Steve moved to him instantly, and Tony smiled up at him sleepily.

"Stay safe," he told him.

Steve grinned back at him, the grayness of morning washing over them both, casting everything in black and white, making Steve wish that things were really that simple.

"You too," Steve said in return, bending over and kissing Tony chastely on the lips. "Fury told me that Bucky's coming with me on this one, so just try to stay out of trouble," Steve scolded gently. "Clint and Peter are here so…" Steve trailed off, knowing that he really needed to leave.

"You want me to stay out of trouble and you're leaving me with those two?" Tony responded with a lopsided grin that Steve wasn't sure reached his eyes.

Steve's face looked doubtful for a second, but Tony just laughed.

"Don't worry Mother Hen, it's okay. Peter's got Mary Jane and Clint would do anything if it would impress you. I'll be fine," Tony assured.

Steve tried to be placated by those facts, but his eyes didn't brighten until something else popped into his mind. "Hey, you were the one who said you wanted a leggy blond bodyguard," Steve teased, thinking Clint would probably appreciate being called as much.

Tony frowned for the first time, but Steve just kissed him again. "Love you," he said.

Tony nodded. "Same." he replied, the single word holding hidden depths of emotion. "Hurry back, soldier boy."

Steve promised, took his shield, and left the Tower.

--------------------------

The next few days were kind of a blur. The only time things seemed to slow down was when Tony tried to fall asleep.

Lately however, it felt like his sleep just wasn't all that restful, as though he'd just closed his eyes and then opened them again with eight hours having disappeared.

Waking up enough to realize that Steve wasn't in the Tower, let alone the in the bed next to him, was something he could do without as well.

He'd been melancholy about it enough when at his company's retreat. Not having Steve around was never the best option for Tony's spirits to lift, but at least at the retreat he'd had about a million other things preoccupy his mind, and James to bitch at if need be. No shame in that.

But now he was back in the Tower and his responsibilities were winding down as he accomplished them, with Pepper now putting fewer things on his plate.

Tony coughed away his morning sleep. He stretched against the bedroom sheets and lifted his hands high above his head, groaning as his body protested his movements.

A little swirling feeling in his belly told him that the kid was up too. And if the kid was up, that meant the kid was hungry.

He only had a limited amount of time to eat something before he started feeling lightheaded. That's just how things were these days. Nothing to really complain about, it was just something that had taken a little while (and two "semi-fainting-but-not-really-because-Steve-was-just-being-dramatic" incidents) for Tony to adjust his work and SHIELD schedule to the addition of the sort of already demanding little kid that had already made its presence known.

_Well_ known.

Tony sat up with slightly more effort then should have been needed and made sure his balance was working well today before standing. No need to be reckless after all, it wasn't like he was used to a life full of daily death defying stunts. No… getting out of bed slowly and making sure he wasn't going to trip over his own two feet was so much more his style.

Tony rolled his eyes and stood, taking the small triumph for what it was. He threw on a robe over his sleep clothes, not pausing to think about the fact that he was wearing one of the shirts that Clint had gotten him at the baby shower, and opened his bedroom doors.

He walked past the closed door of their child's bedroom, having the same thought he always had every time he passed by that door without Steve at his side: He wanted to go in.

Tony pushed the notion from his mind and forced himself past the room.

"I'd only go in there so I could prepare you for the amazingness of it so you're not overwhelmed by the patriotic _haze_ that will no doubt envelop you," he told his stomach, sarcastically.

The baby didn't respond, but the way the elevator racing down two stories made his head rush, made him exit the elevator the second it dinged and round the corner past the entertainment center to go directly to the kitchen. He paused briefly when he saw who was already up.

Peter and Clint were both sitting on the couch, eating what Tony figured was more sugar then cereal and almost certainly watching Saturday morning cartoons.

Clint caught his eye first, and grinned at him through taking another bite of his cereal.

"Now that," Clint paused, "is the definition of bed-head."

Tony scrunched his face before catching on and looking up futilely, putting a hand to his hair in a vain attempt to tame it.

"Morning, Tony," Peter offered, not taking his eyes from the television set.

"Yeah morning," Tony responded, still messing with his hair.

Clint placed his bowl down on the coffee table in front of him, waited for a second, and then asked, "How you doing?"

Tony paused, giving up the battle against his morning hair and grinned.

The first obligatory check up of the day… Clint seemed to be asking him that question a lot more then usual ever since Steve had been called away, almost like he wanted Tony to give Steve a good report card about him.

It was almost endearing, but it _was_ still Clint, so it wasn't like Tony was going to be that easy on him.

Still...

"I'm fine," he responded. "Just hungry."

"Yeah, okay." Clint said, standing. "So come sit down and enjoy watching some refined and enlightened programming that you'll, indeed, get to enjoy for the next nine years."

"Or more," Peter added, brightly. "If you have a kid whose like me."

Tony pondered that statement and Clint's as well, probably making a face.

"Sit," Clint tried again. "I'll tell Jarvis. What do you want?" He offered Tony a seat on the couch.

Tony stood for only a second longer before the room started to do that annoying spinning thing and he ambled forward, taking Clint's proffered spot.

"Thanks," he told Clint sincerely. "Whatever's fine," Tony added, getting the inkling that Clint was being just a little too cooperative. Tony shrugged it off and looked to the television, trying to make sense of what he was watching, starting to feel slightly hypnotized.

"Wow, you look tired," Peter commented blankly.

After another minute of staring at cartoons Tony raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look at the younger man.

"Thanks, I'm sure," he responded, sighing and resting his head against the back of the couch.

Peter just continued to look at him in that odd mixture of being intrigued and being creeped out that made Tony want to smack him upside the head.

Maybe that was just the hormones talking…

Peter made a humming noise and again Tony looked to him. "You're getting really big," Peter exclaimed, innocently.

It took Tony a moment to realize that the growling noise he heard wasn't coming from the television, but rather from the back of his throat.

"I'm going to need you people to stop saying that now. In fact I'm banning that phrase from the Tower," Tony declared. Peter blinked. "That and the odd compulsion you people have for rubbing my belly," Tony said, feeling increasingly fed up. "It doesn't bring you luck. I'm not Buddha. Do I look like Buddha?" A beat passed between them. "Don't answer that."

When Tony was done with his rant he noticed that Peter was starting to get that nervous kicked puppy expression he'd seemingly perfected.

Tony took a breath, deciding to scoff at himself instead.

Since when was he so bitchy?

Tony leaned back against the couch, laughing a little. Peter seemed to relax again after that and Tony tried for a second time to watch cartoons.

Then he grinned when his current favorite person in the world came out of the kitchen armed with breakfast foods. Nobody was perfect Tony supposed, but Jarvis came pretty damn close sometimes.

He gave the man a smile.

Jarvis nodded to Tony with a grin before retreating back into the kitchen. Tony took a few bites of food, reveling in the peace, before Clint came back into the room with a coffee mug in hand.

Tony sighed, the rich, smooth aroma already offending his senses.

Clint made a noise of contentment and Tony's muscles tensed in annoyance. Then he took a breath and grinned, a rather immature thought rising to the surface of his mind. Tony knew how competitive Clint could be and if it led to Clint trying to prove himself... it could only be entertaining.

Tony stretched back a little on the couch. "I never thought I'd miss James as my bodyguard," he muttered.

Clint paused, and looked Tony over.

Immature, but effective.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clint asked him, standing a little closer.

Tony shrugged and Clint finally smirked, having caught on as to why Tony was miffed. "Hey, someone has to drink it. You don't want it going to waste, now do you? What would the starving children of the world think?" he asked, setting the mug down on the table in front of him.

"I doubt they'd want my coffee," Tony countered with a slow exhale. He tried to focus on the food in front of him instead.

Clint looked as though he wanted to snip at Tony in response but bit his tongue, instead attacking the only other person in the room—someone who wouldn't give him a bad report to Steve no matter how he behaved.

"Well, it's not like Steve could have put Peter in charge of you," he said, with a sideways attack directed at the younger man.

Tony hid his amusement with a slice of orange.

Clint had started up conversations like this with Peter for the past two days. Tony wasn't sure why Peter put up with it; maybe he could see Clint's need to vent. Regardless the reason, it was Tony's only source of entertainment as of late…

Peter made a face at Clint's dismissal of his abilities.

"And why not?" he asked, walking right into it.

"Because he knows that the second Pregasaurus tells you to leave him alone and gives you one of his patented Stark pouts, you'd cave." Clint taunted.

Peter didn't even bat an eye. "Just because I respect boundaries and am sensitive to a person's feelings of autonomy, doesn't mean I wouldn't put a tracer on him and follow him from rooftops," he replied, which got a snort of laughter from Tony.

Clint paused.

"Touché, little spider," he said in return, clearly mimicking someone with his tone and body language... Tony wasn't sure who it was. "But you still have to go to school everyday," he countered, as though that were his checkmate.

Peter tilted his head. "So your argument is that you're a better bodyguard because you're a jobless leech?" he whistled a little. "Where were you raised?"

Tony kept silent and ate his food, watching the two of them toss verbal barbs, laughing every once in a while. It was nice being able to focus on their banter, as well as being able to joke about what he was going through. It was a lot better then keeping it to himself, despite his protestations.

He was also glad that he had them around to keep his mind off Steve not being there, and how the press was hounding him, and how the pregnancy was making him feel…

It wasn't horrible, but it was honestly taking a lot out of him and he still had just about three months to go.

As though to accentuate his inner dialogue, the baby kicked hard, causing Tony to pause in eating his cheerios to put a hand to his stomach and take a breath.

Both Clint and Peter stopped talking to look at him, and Tony was suddenly annoyed at the attention.

Clint looked like he wanted to ask if Tony was okay, but couldn't find the words. Peter on the other hand was just fine with being verbal, barraging Tony with questions on how he was doing and babbling on beyond that.

Tony waved them both off.

"Kid's as bad as Pepper," he said with a smirk. "It's just a reminder that I have to go talk to Hank," he informed them, figuring it was close enough to the time that he was supposed to go to Pym's lab for his check-up this week, anyway.

Clint simply nodded and Peter stood up quickly to help Tony from the couch.

"Well, keep up the valiant effort you two," Tony said, with a mock salute.

"Hey!" Clint growled. "I'm doing a great job," he told Stark, to which Peter scoffed.

"What?" Clint asked, with an air of offence. "There was a paparazzi. He made it to the third floor, tried to pretend to be a Stark employee, but I spotted him," Clint bragged.

Tony found himself sighing. "Is that why Pepper texted me about the water cooler guy being assaulted?"

"Probably," Peter responded with a shrug.

Clint made a face, as Tony turned to leave the room. "Whatever. I found a Stark-Rogers baby countdown website on the Internet, too," he continued.

"You probably started it," Peter said, in return.

"No. I'm not the geek, you are."

"Fine, but how does that help Tony in any way?"

Tony didn't hear the response as the elevator doors shut behind him. He snickered to himself, the thought that the YA were more mature then those two, jumping to mind.

--------------------------

Tony found himself alone in Hank's lab with nothing to do but gaze upon the random experiments, most involving insects, strewn all about. He looked but didn't touch. A man's lab was his sanctuary after all. That, and he really had no interest in the mating rituals of fruit flies…

The Illanian armor was still there as well, and Tony studied it seriously for a moment as it glinted dully against the overhead lights. Tony knew, from what Steve was able to gather, that the Illanians in HAMMER custody did not wish to leave until they were cured. They didn't want to hurt anyone else or have their technology used against others. Tony could relate.

Beast had done all he could with the lab reports that Steve had obtained from his visit and really there was only so much that one could do without access to an actual Illanian.

Plus, Tony knew that Beast had enough on his plate regardless. What with everything that the X-Men were constantly going through. Not to mention everyone's current preoccupation with the fact that the baby showed traits of the super soldier serum.

But Extremis should keep Tony safe long enough to carry the baby to term, and that was what Tony tried to focus on. It was what mattered.

Minutes passed and Tony sat there humming, his thoughts drifting back to the work he'd yet to accomplish. On the plus side, the helicarrier designs were complete, and he'd had a meeting with construction and engineering so far. The craft was coming along nicely; though Fury didn't want Tony near his base of operations because of the interference he still seemed to cause in random electronics, saying he'd somehow broadcast secrets to the Russians…

Tony calculated the time he had before the baby came, as compared to the time it would take to complete his current workload. With Pepper back, the few projects that he had been working on for Stark Industries could fall to the backburner if he didn't finish them. He had faith in her abilities to keep his company afloat if he was indisposed for a while. Rhodey was taking care of everything in California and even further abroad, and Jarvis was on top of Avengers Tower itself.

Tony found that he didn't know how to express how grateful he was for all of the support everyone was giving him. He supposed he could honestly try to take care of himself so he could get back to work as soon as possible after the baby… _was at least 15 years old_…

Wait no.

Tony shook his head. He was definitely going back to work. He was definitely going back into the armor. He was definitely…

Tony's eyes felt drawn to the cabinet he knew Hank housed the weekly check-up files about himself and the baby. He contemplated things over a moment before hauling himself up and walking over to it. He pulled open a drawer and located a few recent reports.

He sat down in the nearest chair and halted a minute, looking at the closed manila folder. Tony really hadn't had the urge, need, or drive to read them. He already had the feeling that there was too much he couldn't change. He shut his eyes, but as he did a memory of Steve covered in paint, kissing him softly as they talked about their child's future, wrapped around his worries like a blanket.

He opened his eyes and began to read.

***

It was about forty minutes later when Hank finally came into his lab and spotted Tony. He grinned at the man and then tilted his head when he saw what Tony was going through.

"Hey, what do you think?" Hank asked him, sitting down in the seat adjacent to the man. It took Tony a second, but then he put the paperwork down and forced his eyes to focus on Hank.

"Seems like I'm in capable hands," Tony replied, smiling at the man.

"Sure," Hank said meekly, then he took the nearest file folder from Tony's pile on the desk. "The only thing I'm really concerned about is the general overuse of your nervous system. Your systems are regenerating because of Extremis, but everything is running on overload most of the time and--" Hank tried to start a line of dialogue, but Tony held up a hand to stop him.

"It's fine," Tony said, certainly. After reading the printouts, there were energy outputs that he wouldn't be able to adequately track as the pregnancy developed, most likely due to the SSS. There were also some things that would remain uncertain until the very end due to Ultron and Extremis fusing, but it'd be okay, he assured himself.

"I mean, after a description like that I _should_ feel tired, right?" Tony laughed. "So I'm tired," he said, flippantly. "But I'm fine," he ended, thinking about how Beast had told him that Extremis might start doing funny things towards the end of the pregnancy anyway.

Hank had on his "we're not done talking about this" face and Tony wracked his brain for something to sidetrack his attention.

"So, when is Jan getting back?" he managed to ask, preparing himself for this week's check-up.

Bingo.

Hank held an effortless grin on his face that seemed to be involuntary and looked down towards the ground. "Oh, in a few days. The fashion event is going great. She calls me every once in a while with updates." He informed, trying to play it cool, but his enthusiasm at the prospect of them hitting it off again, seeped through.

Distraction 1. Pym 0.

"Glad to hear it," Tony grinned, leaning further back in the chair he was seated in. He tried to get comfortable, both emotionally and physically, as Hank prattled on about Jan, and then somehow about wasps… Tony was waiting for the conversation to turn to ants and just disintegrate from there…

He smirked at his thoughts and sat patiently while being scanned by Hank, listening with half a mind, simply thankful for more things to distract him. But as fervent as Hank was about his conversation, Tony found himself grateful when Peter practically flung himself into Hank's lab and then came to a dead stop as though unsure of what to do now that he was finally there.

"Hey, Pete. Where's the fire?" Tony asked the man, straightening up and feeling a tad self-conscious about having another person in the room when he didn't have his shirt on. He looked around for it.

"Uh, I um…" Peter trailed off and fidgeted a bit, but it had Tony concerned. He didn't look nervous or bashful, he looked upset, as though the words he was trying to utter where causing him pain. Or would cause pain to others.

"Peter, what is it?" Tony asked, as he worked his shirt on over his head. He felt the pull of fabric across his stomach and went to stand.

"No." Peter raised his hands, finally saying something, and the tone of his voice was enough to keep Tony in his seat. "Just sit down," the younger man continued.

Hank had been standing but he decided to sit as well and both sets of eyes were now on Peter, but the man seemed to be stuck again.

"I… he's…" Peter took a deep breath as though to restart, and opened his mouth to speak again when Clint Barton came barging through the lab doors much as Peter had done just seconds before.

"Did you tell him?" Clint asked Peter, who looked at Clint helplessly and then shook his head.

Clint put a hand to Peter's back and nodded once. "It's okay," he said, comfortingly and Peter looked somewhat relieved. Clint turned to Tony and Hank and wore an expression rarely held on the archer's face.

By now, Tony's gaze and thoughts had both hardened. He just wanted to know what was wrong.

Clint only paused a second before he spoke again. "Steve's missing."

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Okay! That's the end of Chapter 6. More to come soon ^__^ Please don't kill us.

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	21. Chapter 7a Schemes and Dreams

There were only a few ways that this whole thing could play out, and Tony was only thinking of the options that he liked. He'd given up on the other scenarios, pushing them to the furthest reaches of his mind, attempting to lock those thoughts in a vault never to be opened. Those thoughts were dangerous.

And yet try as he might, add all the mental locks that he could manage, they'd still scramble to the surface, telling him that Steve would never come home alive.

Tony closed his eyes.

He had been to Steve's last known location, combed the area for any ideas on his whereabouts, or well… SHIELD had… Tony had sort of felt useless, tucked in the corner, with Carol always by his side never letting him out of her sight.

He didn't like feeling useless or impaired or like he needed to be babysat and this entire experience had been nothing but month after month of that. He'd been fine when it had meant protecting the baby, but now… now it was different.

This was about Steve.

It wasn't an option that the man was dead. If he were really gone, well... The past seven months had almost redefined their entire relationship. Steve's death now couldn't even be compared to the last time he had been taken from them, outside the courthouse steps. Tony had barely been able to hold himself together then; iNow/i was a whole other monster.

Tony was sitting outside the nursery door, the fresh smell of paint and plaster filling his nostrils. He had his back leaned up against the wall, his head in his hands. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen this spot to break down, but after hours of being kept mostly in the dark to 'alleviate stress levels,' and nothing but worried thoughts to keep him company, he'd just needed a moment. Someplace safe that still felt like Steve was watching over him.

He knew that the other Avengers were doing what they felt best for him, given the situation, but all Tony thought about was the future. Didn't they get that keeping him in the dark just made things worse?

Tony looked up at the closed door. He didn't dare go inside… he had made a promise... He wasn't even sure if the room was finished. Or if it would ever be finished.

Tony made a noise as though to shock himself out of those thoughts again. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. And that in itself was the worst kind of feeling for him. Uncertainty wasn't something he handled well, and there was so much of it in his life at the moment. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to Steve, he wasn't sure what was going to happen at the end of this pregnancy… if he made it past that he wasn't sure what kind of a father he would be, especially if he... if he was alone.

Tony's fingers tumbled blindly around the ring he wore on a chain around his neck. His engagement ring. It didn't fit anymore... wouldn't until after... until after his child was born. Tony sat there, thinking about that.

Pushing past all of the uncertainty, Tony made himself a promise that he'd wear his ring again, just trying to set a goal that he could see and smell and touch. He rubbed a hand over his stomach as he brought the pale gold circle to his lips, kissing it gently and thinking of the person who had given it to him, before laying his head in his hands once more.

Tony wasn't certain how long he had been sitting there near the nursery he'd yet to see, thinking things that made it so he couldn't breathe… but he finally lifted his head when he heard soft footfalls heading his way. It was Peter.

He looked up at the man with tired eyes and fought to give him a smile. "You my babysitter, Pete?" he asked, knowing that James was busy.

Peter stood there with his hands in his pockets, like he was unsure of what to do to make things better. "Only if you're paying me," he smirked, but then he took a breath. "I uh, I just wanted to keep you updated in what's happening so. I mean if you want to know. I mean I'm sure you want to know, but maybe if you don't want to know inow/i I understand, because it's not really that much and I--" Peter cut himself off when Tony held up a hand.

"It's okay, Peter," Tony said, calmly. "Tell me."

Peter shifted in his stance, rubbing the back of his neck like he really was just sorry about all of this, like he would make it all better if only he could, but then he simply nodded. "We'll find Steve soon and get him back even sooner. That's not even a second thought, it's just a matter of time, so we need you to…" Peter looked him over as Tony sat there slumped against the wall. "We just need you to stay strong," he told him, and Tony gave him a glare like what the hell else had he been doing?

Peter swallowed but continued. "Right well… it was the Illanians that took Steve. The debris at the crime scene confirms it with what we've been able to gather about their armor from the ones you captured. Beast is in at HAMMER and talking to them right now thanks to Fury, so like I said, we'll figure it all out soon." He took a breath, "There's been a shift in what the armor has been made out of in the past few times we've encountered them so… we just have to narrow down where to find that specific kind of metallic alloy and…" Peter trailed off again, his face softening, "well you know the rest."

And Tony did. The Avengers would leave him here and they'd make sure Steve was safe. That should be enough. He was trying to make that be enough, but he hated not being able to go himself. Worse then hated it, as a matter of fact. He'd just gotten his life back together, damned if he was going to let it all just fall back apart.

"Yeah, I get it," Tony said, pushing himself up along the wall to stand. Peter took a step towards him like he was afraid the man would fall. Before Tony could protest he dipped forward, feeling dizzy. Peter seemed to grab him before he even wavered. Tony cursed under his breath, but didn't try to stop Peter as he led him towards the master bedroom to go and sit on the bed.

"Just take it easy. Steve will be back soon," Peter said, trying to sound reassuring, though it was as if he was tensing inwardly. Like he was just waiting for Tony to ask him if he could go on this mission and he was preparing himself mentally to tell the man, no.

Tony didn't say a thing. He'd already had that talk with Hank. He knew he had to remember that his body wasn't made for this in the best of times, with the added stress of the situation he just needed to, like Peter had said, take it easy. He'd never been very good with that, either.

Peter looked at him. "I… are you--?"

"I'm fine," Tony interrupted, keeping his gaze forward.

Peter nodded and then sat down next to him on the bed, looking at the floor. "I believe you," he replied, like he knew that Tony was lying. "But just in case you aren't, we're going to take care of everything. You can count on us, ask for help, we… you know, we're the good guys. And we're gonna find the bad guys, and it'll be just like… old times…" Peter trailed off for a third time, and Tony finally looked over at him.

"That sounds nice," he said, sincerely. "Listen, Peter. Thank yo--" he paused when Peter's comm. went off.

Both men stared at it for a moment before Peter finally moved to answer. He spoke to James on the other line and then stood and started backing up towards the bedroom door to go out towards the lifts, looking at Tony while he did. "I… I'll be--" Peter began, but Tony cut him off.

"Just bring him home safe," he said, and Peter curtly nodded, and with one last stolen glance, left Tony behind.

Tony watched him go, and lowered his head when Peter was no longer in sight. Having to stay was driving him crazy. He'd have gone out to fight, three heart attacks shy of a coffin, broken ribs and a concussion, but... he'd never put his child at risk. He was simply out of options. So he had to stay here and not let his dark thoughts get the best of him.

Tony's head shot up when he heard noise in the room again. He was about to tell Peter he was fine, not to worry and to just go, but when he looked up, Cassie stood before him, a determined air about her.

"Hey darling," Tony said to her, trying to get the defeated expression off his face and replace it with a worried and hopeful one.

"Hi, Uncle Tony," she replied, in a small voice that didn't match her personality.

He patted the bed next to him and she crossed the room to sit by his side.

It was silent for a few minutes and then Cassie took a breath. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

Tony was going to automatically dismiss it and say that he was fine, that her being there with him was enough, but he paused for a second, the gears in his head beginning to turn. He looked at her and narrowed his gaze. "Cassie, I know exactly what you can do to help me." He grinned.

There was something humiliating about this. There was something lasting and unbearable about being strapped to a rock, held up by chains, in some underground cavern. And Steve knew that was the point.

About how beautiful it would be down here with the crystalline structures and glowworms, if it weren't all so twisted.

But the person he was dealing with was twisted, and had stolen a people's entire identity from them to achieve his own ends. There was ieverything/i unbearable about that, the fact that any action that the Illanians had taken, they'd had no choice in the matter.

Steve could remember the final moments of the reconnaissance mission he'd been on. Himself and Bucky had split up to rendevous later, but then everything went FUBAR... his mind and body had only been geared up for a completely different kind of threat. Steve was a natural with plans and strategies but if you caught him by surprise, even a super solider could go down. He'd been pulled under the earth and had soon lost air and after that, consciousness.

And then...

Steve could feel wet rock pressing against his back and cold drips of water falling onto his face like tears from somewhere above. It stung against the cuts near his cheek. He'd been roughed up pretty badly in being brought down here it seemed. He could feel it in the joints of his limbs, the bruises that were bound to be on his chest, and especially in his right leg, where the earth armor had clamped down on him. He was pretty much standing in a pleasant little pool of his own blood.

Steve attempted to move again against his chains, but they gave him no more freedom. It wasn't quite like the last time he'd been chained up. Steve relaxed briefly and then tugged with all of his might and found the chains would still not budge. So... he was still captured. And feeling pretty helpless. And that water was really starting to bug him.

He only took solace out of the fact that he now knew who it was controlling the Illanians, but he still had a lot of unanswered questions. Then again, considering who it was, they wouldn't go untalked about for long. Not that Steve wanted to stay here and talk.

He wanted to escape from this, and he wanted to do it himself. He didn't want to put any of his friends in danger. He didn't want to put Tony in danger, and just had to have faith that the man wouldn't do anything reckless, that he would keep himself and the baby safe. He could only imagine how he was taking his disappearance. He felt a wave of emotion pass over him. It felt a lot like guilt.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of another person in the expanse with him. He struggled against his restraints again. "Release me," he said in a low voice, like a warning growl from a caged dog.

When there was no response, Steve struggled against the chains again, feeling them tighten a bit for his troubles. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it certainly wasn't making his breathing any easier. He closed his eyes for a second, biting down on his cheek to keep from shouting out a sound of frustration. He didn't want to give the man the satisfaction. Suddenly he felt a snap, followed immediately by a feeling of nausea.

He hadn't felt that in so long. It would figure the thing to break one of Captain America's bones would be himself struggling against inanimate chains. Steve slumped, trying to relieve the pain in his right leg. Of course that was when fate provided him with a distraction in the form of a metallic clap echoing from the darkness beyond his sight.

Steve panted a little, looking up into the nothingness. He was getting sick of these mind games. Sick of the play and the pomp and circumstance. He didn't want to admit how tired he was though, so he clamped his mouth shut.

The metallic clap continued however, as did the stomp of boots against the cold gray floor. In the narrow light immediately surrounding Steve a face appeared, or well, an image of one encased in metal did... and if Steve could have seen that face, he knew the man would have been grinning. "Americans really are autonomous," Doom laughed. "They even torture themselves."

Steve rumbled slightly but said nothing, his only response being a slight clank of the chains still tying him down. Doom simply laughed and started to speak yet again. Steve had been trapped down here for hours. Doom liked to talk a lot. He wished he had some way to ignore the man. Listening to Doom was like hearing a verbal preversion of righteousness.

"...and that is when I realized the water tainting I had done previously to take over the world had permeated deeper than I had ever expected, putting the Illanians under my control and that 'bombastic Beast's' cure was not as effective as he'd hoped. Reinforcing it with magic only seemed a logical course of action." Doom started to pace as he gesticulated. Steve tried to look bored.

"I was initially just going to use the Illanians and make it look like Stark's doing, to end Richards so I could take my time reestablishing my empire, but then," Doom paused and faced Steve, lifting his chin to the man. "Something happened I doubt anyone expected." He looked off to the right of Steve, as though envisioning a future just outside of his reach. "To shape a child of such potential and power, how could Doom resist?" he narrowed his gaze at Steve, his voice growing harsher, "Especially after everything he did to me," he glowered.

Steve felt his chest tighten and he bared his teeth as he fought against the chains once more. He knew what Doom was talking about: one of Tony's final acts as Director of SHIELD, bringing in Victor von Doom after they and the Sentry had been trapped in time.

iWhat the hell was all of this? Was it revenge?/i

He struggled again, feeling the white hot burn in his leg as he did so and yelling out in pain, not caring what Doom thought anymore.

"You're not touching my child!" he said, and Doom just laughed.

"My one mistake in the Richards' children was waiting until they were born," he continued on as though Steve hadn't just had an outburst. Steve thrashed at his restraints until his hands went numb and his leg felt like it was about to burst.

"You won't get Tony," he said, through gritted teeth.

"Oh Captain, how precious. I don't need to get Stark, I have you. He'll come all on his own." Doom walked closer to Steve, getting in his face. "Or he'll trade himself for you, or... if all else fails," he started, his voice lowering again. "I can just kill you. I don't think he'd like that option."

Steve clamped his mouth shut again, taking in deep breaths through his nose, nostrils flaring. This really was for revenge. Steve swallowed some to get himself under control. It was okay. This was just Doom. The Fantastic Four fought him all the time and the man had given Reed's little boy hot chocolate one kidnapping. This was nothing. He could escape and the Avengers would send the metallic maniac all the way back to Latveria where he could cry and rust over the scraps of his empire.

Steve held on to those thoughts as the man continued to taunt him. He wasn't sure how long he'd been here, but it was at least half a day if he had to guess. He wasn't worried for himself, he was worried for Tony... and the people who Doom was controlling. Doom had said that Beast had found a cure for it before, perhaps that was why Beast had found the Illanian's read outs familiar.

All he had to do was find his shield, find a chink in the chains confining him, and get the hell out. He was certain that Beast could find a cure again and now that they knew who it was behind this charade, they could rescue the Illanians.

Steve's thoughts and plans were interrupted by a metallic hand punching him in the face. He felt a molar crack and he choked on it a second, trying to recover from the sucker punch. Doom's mask gave no hints of his thoughts or emotions, and he was no longer talking, at least not to him. Instead he heard curses about Reed and the Fantastic Four.

The man was insane, more so than usual. The stress of losing it all after the Skrull Invasion might have been too much for him. But Steve didn't have the chance to think much more about it as metal gloved limbs hit him until his eyes fell closed against his will. He'd get out of this. And he'd protect his family. Everything would be okay.

Somehow...

Hey all! More soon to come we promise~ Thanks for all your patience :)


	22. Chapter 7b Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Chapter 7.2- Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Steve woke up when he felt his ears ring with a loud commotion. He opened his eyes and then squinted them against the dust in the air. He suppressed a cough and tried to catch up to what was going on. It took him a moment but he definitely recognized the sounds of a battle taking place just beyond the rock wall that enclosed his prison. Was it the Avengers? Steve grinned a bit though it faltered when he split his lip doing so. Doom's punches must have done a number on his face, even worse then what the Illanian's had been able to do.

He squinted against his sub par vision and tried to figure out where the metallic despot could be. He couldn't rely on his eyes so he listened as best he could. All he could hear was the battle outside his door. He heard a whooshing noise he knew came from fire-based attacks and the sheer force of who might be Luke Cage hitting something. Then he heard a _snikt_. It was definitely the Avengers. Steve simply hoped to hell that Tony hadn't followed.

He felt the rumble of rocks beginning to crack, the sound of something shattering and a blast, which told him the Illanians were there too, and they were still fighting. He felt horrible about that, and hoped that Beast had found the cure for them since he'd last seen the man.

He winced some, as his chains still wouldn't lessen their grip, and soon heard Doom's voice again drawing near. The swirl of his cape knocked the dust away, sending it spiraling up to the side of him. Steve opened his mouth to boast to the man, but Doom apparently had other plans. He felt his stomach churn as Doom put a hand to Steve's throat without a single word to him and kicked out at Steve's broken leg.

"I'll finish you now, I swear it," Doom said, in a voice that realized he was losing this battle. Steve choked through a laugh, though his leg was on fire.

The edges of Steve's vision started to go black. He tried to fight back but his arms were still pinned, chained against the wall. A cataclysmic blast resounded through the cavern then, the result being a huge hole in the middle of the rock wall to his left. Victor was undeterred, pressing his fingers tighter against Steve's throat.

"Hey Doom, Mr. Fantastic says your shoes are untied!"

Doom seemed to blink and he turned to the voice, letting go of Steve's throat.

"Foolish children what makes you think you are a match for me?" the man said, as Steve gasped and sputtered for air. When he could focus again he saw who had come to save him. Before them stood the Young Avengers. The rest of the battle being fought against the Illanians was still taking place right outside the hole in the cavern wall, with their adult counterparts.

Steve wasn't too happy to see that his rescue committee was Cassie and her friends. He'd never been comfortable with super heroes younger then the age of 18, but he was helpless to do much about it at the moment. And then he heard Tony's voice and cursed inwardly, before realizing that it was coming from the comm. link in Eli's ear. He was giving orders.

Good. That had better mean that the man was far, far away from here and just looking in through a satellite uplink. Though he was surprised that the Avengers had let him do even that. Perhaps they hadn't...

"It's really Victor...? Fine. Good. Tell him Richards is outside and says he is twice the mastermind he is, then release Steve from those chains and get him home." Steve snickered lightly at hearing Tony's words, he had no idea if Reed was out there or not, it was difficult to hear the rubbery man's attacks. Kate was the one to voice the taunt.

Doom growled back at Kate's statement and the battle between himself and the Young Avengers began. Steve just wanted them to divert attention and release him. He was fine with an immediate retreat after that if it meant keeping the kids safe. Steve struggled against his chains again not wanting to leave the kids alone against Doom. He started to feel light headed though and he hated that. It was either from the blood loss or his nerve endings protesting the trauma done to his body.

"Just get me free, I'll take care of it," Steve ordered. But the Young Avengers worked in their own way...

Eli slid in close, as Doom was preoccupied with Cassie growing, and slammed his shield into Doom's knee tripping him over into Teddy's waiting grip. Kate shot bolts through Doom's cloak, successfully pinning him to the wall. Cassie grew as large as she could in the tight cave and ended it by hitting the struggling overlord. Meanwhile, a blue glow encircled the chains holding Steve down and turned them into licorice. Billy shrugged and rubbed his head, giving Steve a sheepish grin before an energy blast almost shot him in the shoulder. He blanched with a look of shock to Tommy, who was already running over to relieve Doom of his weapon.

Steve pulled against his bindings, snapping them easily now and he leaned further against the floor, roaring a little from the pain in his leg. He lost sight of the battle and what was going on due to it, but he swallowed some and forced himself to open his eyes. He saw the Young Avengers fighting as a team in a way that he had to admire. He knew they'd really come together after all they had been through, but he'd always been a little preoccupied himself during those times to see it up close and in action.

Steve crawled and pulled himself up on the rough wall scraping his hands, trying to see where his shield could be. He heard Tony's voice but couldn't focus on it right. Kate turned to Tommy. "Can you carry him?"

Tommy shrugged like he wasn't used to seeing Captain America hurt and wasn't sure what to do. Finally he shook his head. Cassie grabbed Steve instead, "I've got him, Uncle Tony. The others can finish off Doom." Tony's voice was clearer now, closer to Steve's ear.

"There's no finishing needed, get Steve and get out," he could be heard ordering.

"Sorry Uncle Tony, you're breaking up on me," Cassie replied, turning off her comm. link with a slight smile. Tommy was rolling on the balls of his feet, "So can I explode the cave now?" he asked, a bit too excitedly. Cassie looked at Steve in her arms and decided she shouldn't answer.

"Ask an Avenger," Steve said, as he winced against the pain, knowing that this wasn't the Illanians' true home. Their home was in Wakanda near T'Challa. But he didn't know what the others had planned.

Tommy shrugged. "We are the Avengers."

Steve made a face but Cassie was soon moving to get him out of there.

He could hear the two battlements begin to collide, as the Avengers' battle with the Illanians and the battle between the Young Avengers and Doom entwined. They were spilling in together but it seemed like they were winding down, and Steve wasn't sure why. He was sort of out of the loop given that he'd been the one kidnapped and his leg was proving to be quite a distraction.

Cassie was bent in half trying to fit her large frame safely through the cave, steadily making an upward ascent. As they passed through, Clint's voice could be heard calling out the Hank. "Hey, Pym I think Steve needs a doctor. You should head to the jet and give Cassie a hand." Pym muttered and Peter could be heard making a Pym impression, "How many times must I inform you Barton, I'm a Doctor not a Doctor."

This must have been a big mission if Hank was involved since he wasn't usually on the active team roster, Steve thought to himself, just trying to focus on anything but the pain in his body.

Then Cassie made it out into the daylight. Steve's winced at the feel of natural light after being kept in that cave. Cassie was running him over to where he assumed the Avengers jet was parked.

When they reached their destination, Cassie began to shrink down.

Steve tried to stand, the adrenaline rush he'd felt when this all began was beginning to disappear so he wasn't sure how much longer he could manage. "Where's Tony?" he asked, not wanting to think about anything else-- like the fact that he didn't know where his shield was, or that his leg was starting to go numb and he wasn't sure which was worse: that or the pain.

"He's at the Tower, we wouldn't let him leave. He's safe I promise," she told him as she helped guide Cap onto the medical bed at the back of the jet. She began fiddling with bandages and antiseptics, looking like she was trying to remember when Steve taught them first aid and what step she should do first. "Maybe I should wait for a doctor..." she hesitated, looking at Steve's leg through his ripped uniform.

Steve made a noise in the back of his throat at the thought of Tony. He smirked, glad that they had been able to talk him into some semblance of sanity concerning the rescue. He didn't ask Cassie if Tony was okay because he didn't want the girl to have to think about it. He tried to sit up as best he could on the med table and waited for the other Avengers to get there.

"Thank you, Cassie. For keeping him safe and for... showing up when you did," he said to her, knowing that it had been her voice that had gotten Doom to pause and turn in the first place. His shoulders hitched some at the pain he was in, though he did his best to hide it from her. "You were all amazing," he praised, knowing she deserved it.

Cassie blushed at the compliments and was about to respond, when Clint and Hank came bursting onto the jet. Cassie closed her mouth and began to bandage some of the smaller cuts on Steve, instead.

Hank walked up and the first thing he did upon looking at Steve was to squint at the swollen bruise that was disfiguring Steve's leg and declare, "Yep, it's broken," in a voice that was somewhere between shock and a statement of fact.

Clint was standing there, saying nothing, his hands behind his back, "Yeah, that's bound to put a damper on your evening," he said to the man, as though speaking from experience, and Steve knew that he was.

Steve sort of glared at him. "Thanks for the sympathy," he said to him, as he could feel the Quinjet start to rev up. He laid back down on the table as his head began to spin.

"No sympathy here," Clint said, though his voice was almost sorrowful, "but I have something else for you," he added, pulling the shield out from behind his back. "Peter and I found it," Clint told him as Steve let his face burst into a smile, the sting and pain of his stretched muscles and split lip, unimportant.

They'd found his shield and managed to keep Tony safe. Oh, and he was out of that damn cave. Today wasn't so bad, all in all.

It was then the last dregs of adrenalin faded and Steve passed out on the table.


	23. Chapter 7c Reunion Redux

End of Chapter 7 -- Reunion Redux

Tony had been sitting there in the infirmary at the Tower waiting for Steve to wake up for a while now, an easy sort of contented exhaustion having settled all the way into his bones. It was almost funny that it happened to be a Friday when they had found him. Tony smirked, thinking Steve had been right: Fridays were good days.

When Steve started moving around a bit signifying that he was waking up, Tony moved a hand to the man's forehead, feeling the rough skin, chilled from the refrigerated and sterile air. As Steve moved more, he ran his fingers along a stubbled cheek.

"Hey," Tony said, softly.

Steve's eyes opened slowly, pulling against the light. He made a groaning noise in the back of his throat as though he were a child who didn't want to go to school that day.

"Tony," he said hoarsely, looking dazed.

Tony smiled. "Welcome home," he replied, leaning back in his chair a bit.

Steve smiled in return, his eyes not fully open. He looked a little worse for the wear, and that was really saying something when a super solider was involved. He looked at the monitor that Steve was hooked up to, the IV… Tony still couldn't believe his leg was broken. He glanced at the cast for a second before looking back into his fiancé's eyes.

"Sorry I couldn't come save you in person but the mini-Avengers seemed to think you wouldn't appreciate it, and Bucky blocked all the exits." Tony stated, as Steve took in a few breaths, trying to wake himself up through his lungs. "Isn't there a fairytale like that? Someone trapped in a Tower?" Tony thought, idly.

"Yeah," Steve said, after a minute, "But you didn't need any saving," he added, with something of a warning in his voice as he tried to sit up. It was when he made to stand that Tony put up both his hands.

"Hey, really, just lay there," he said, as Steve seemed to get a better handle on where he was. "They yell at you for moving around too much, trust me," Tony added, not having moved from his place in the chair. The words seemed to get Steve's attention because he stopped trying to be stubborn for a second and looked at Tony, really looked at him. Tony gave him a wink and smirked back.

"I'm okay, Steve," he told the man gently. "We're both okay."

He motioned for Steve to give him his hand and then moved it over to his stomach, figuring that was what had the man so worried.

Steve's arm was stiff and probably sore as Tony guided his hand to a spot to feel the baby moving, he barely noticed the pain now. Steve broke into a great big grin.

"See, just fine," Tony said, running his hand up along Steve's arm. He needed warming up. Steve hated to be cold. "I missed you," he told the blond. "Try not to do that again, okay?"

"It's a promise," Steve said, a grin still on his face.

It was then that Peter entered and immediately pounced onto the baseboard of Steve's hospital bed, "Tony, what are you doing out of bed? Hank put you on bed rest, I'm pretty sure that means you rest in a bed. Get back quick," the man warned, but then he made a face. "Wait. No. Don't. You aren't supposed to be up. Maybe I should carry you, that would be not getting up, right?"

Tony tore his eyes away from Steve and glowered slightly at Peter. "You just talk to amuse yourself, don't you?"

Peter smiled and then he shrugged. "Sometimes," he offered.

Tony sighed and looked back over to Steve with a roll of his eyes. "See what I have to put up with?" he asked, and was met a stern glare in return.

"You're supposed to be in bed?" Steve asked him, and Tony shrugged a little.

"I'm right next to one, that's almost the same thing," he replied. But Steve didn't seem convinced, so Tony muttered to himself and made himself stand, Peter dropping down from the baseboard, and helping him nicely to the bed right next to Steve's. After Tony made himself as comfortable as he could he looked up at Peter.

"Go use your words for good and ask Beast how much longer I have to stay in bed," Tony told Peter sullenly.

"Sure thing, Boss," Peter grinned, and with one last look at Steve to make sure he was okay, he left the room.

"They just want what's best for you," Steve said, and Tony waved a hand at him dismissively.

"I'm fine. And I don't want you jumping on that bandwagon of people worrying about me, okay?" he told Steve, pointing a finger at him. Then he let it drop and moved his shoulders some, acting smug. "You're the one who had to get all dramatic and get kidnapped on us." he grinned, leaning back in the bed he really didn't want to be in, wishing he were closer to Steve. "Cap-napped," he added, smirking a little at his own joke, just trying to keep his mind on positive things.

"I didn't go out with the intent of being kidnapped," Steve said wryly, and then he paused. "What did you say?" Tony just smiled, drumming his fingers across his stomach. "I didn't intend to get... _Cap-napped_ either," Steve added.

Tony laughed a little after Steve had said a word he obviously didn't approve of, and then shut his eyes. "Details," he said, just happy to be able to breathe easy. Steve was going to be fine, and that was all Tony needed right now to be okay.

Eventually Tony heard Steve clear his throat, and a second after that he spoke up again, "Tony, why is there a bandwagon worried about you?" he asked in a tone that sounded like he had already formed his own hypotheses, and was looking to see if he was right about any of them. "You sure you're okay?"

Tony looked back at the man, lazily rolling his head to face him, knowing that not all of their conversation could be banter and play.

"Me? I'm golden," he replied. "I just didn't exactly like having to worry about what the hell was happening to you," he admitted. He didn't want to go into the specifics of it. Everything was fine now. So he continued on… "But we seemed to have hit two birds with one stone in saving you: stopping Doom, emancipating the Illanians. It's like we're heroes or something," he grinned, lifting his arms and putting his hands behind his head.

"It's like we're Avengers," Steve seemed to correct.

Tony laughed a little at that and took in a deep breath. He rolled onto his side so he could fill his lungs better, and settled his gaze on his fiancé again. "Yeah…" he agreed.

Steve looked at him back, "Will you tell me more about what happened?" he asked after a moment, as though trying not to push Tony into it, but he really wanted to know.

Tony eventually nodded. He'd found out all the details of the mission mostly after the fact so both himself and Steve were in the same boat for once. "We didn't exactly know you'd be there, until we were. We did know whoever took you would be there though..." Tony trailed off for a second, not trying to focus on who had been behind all of this for too long a period of time. "Doom seemed pretty out of it… Reed mentioned Doom has this creepy heir thing, tried to take his kids before too." He said it like it was nothing, but it was hiding some deep seeded emotions.

Steve looked uncertain for a moment. "I think it was more then that..." he said, and Tony shrugged.

"Probably," he admitted.

Steve nodded, seemingly getting that Tony didn't want to talk about it right now, and took in a breath. "I... I still can't believe it was Victor."

"I can," Tony replied, his eyes getting lost in a memory of the man. Tony noticed a worried look that Steve was giving him, and he offered the man a smile but nothing more.

"And the Illanians being controlled?" Steve eventually asked Tony, letting it drop. Tony nodded.

"That was how we figured out it was Doom. Beast figured out a cure. Knew they were sick with magic because he'd had to cure that sickness before." he said, trying his best to relay what Beast had told them about the time when Doom had enslaved the entire human race, and the Illanian race apparently, with a psychoactive mind control drug, that Beast had later cured. This time around, Doom had apparently fortified it with magic, which was why the original cure didn't work and Beast had to work a few things out with Dr. Strange before they'd really seen results. Which now meant that every Illanian the Avengers had come across was now cured, and they were working on finding the rest. "They didn't want to debrief me on everything before hand, too stressful apparently," Tony tried to laugh at that. "But I..." he trailed off.

Steve sat up further in his bed. "What did you do?"

Tony muttered something about how annoying it was that none of his suits fit, but then he spoke up, telling Steve about how he had gotten the Young Avengers to let him synch up to the battle and use them as his eyes and ear into what was going on with the rescue.

Steve nodded having figured that had been the case. He looked grateful that Tony had found a way to be involved that hadn't actually used up all of his energy and had kept him and the baby safe. Then he took a breath, and looked away. There was silence in the room and then, "It just doesn't feel finished with him," he said, and Tony knew what he was talking about. He offered Steve a weak smile.

"With Doom it never does."

The two men shared a glance that went unbroken for a while, only to be disrupted by Beast entering the room.

"A little spider confessed to me that somebody has already been out of their hospital bed after I was so kind in allowing him to rest right next to his dearly beloved," he said with an accusatory tone, glancing at Tony. Then he looked to Steve and grinned. "That and another patient is awake," he added. Soon the stethoscope was out and the bedside manner was so uniquely Beast.

"That rat." Tony murmured under his breath about Peter, pretending as though he were annoyed, as he watched Steve get a check-up.

"Now, now… manners," Beast replied, checking Steve over as the super solider sighed a little, as though knowing he'd be fine. _And yet he always got so touchy whenever Tony dismissed doctors. The man was obviously a hypocrite._

Beast straightened then, with his hands declaratively at his hips. He smiled, those fangs of his pearly white, and looked at Tony.

"Your fiancé as well as yourself are to remain on bed rest for the next week," he announced. "You," he pointed to Tony, "because you're unsteady on your feet. And you," he pointed to Steve, "because you can't stand." He bowed to them and made a hasty retreat, before they could begin to argue with him.

Tony looked over at Steve, who didn't look pleased with the prognosis. "We have the weirdest doctors," Tony said with a sigh, feeling disheartened himself.

They sat there in silence for a minute before Tony heard Steve begin to move. The man was attempting to get up again, pretty much blatantly ignoring what Beast had just said in lieu of apparently pushing his and Tony's beds together. Tony looked at him appreciatively, cringing a little when he did to see the pain he was in. Steve just smiled at him.

"I can't stand?" Steve said, obstinately. "He doesn't know who he's dealing with," he grinned, wincing as he left as much weight as possible on his left leg, Tony could tell.

Their beds touching, Steve finally collapsed back down onto the hospital mattress and got as close to Tony as he dared, readjusting his leg so it was comfortable and making sure he didn't dismantle the IV in his hand.

Tony just laughed and wrapped his arms around Steve's neck, finally feeling as close to him as he had wanted to be. Steve always knew how to read his mind.

"I thought iI/i was supposed to be the troublemaker," he said, in a conspiratorial tone.

Steve grinned and shook his head. "I'm full of surprises," he told the man, kissing him gently and putting a hand to Tony's tummy. "It hurts to be too far away from you," he said, and Tony looked up at him like he wanted to say that that was the cheesiest thing he'd ever heard. He couldn't though, because he loved it.

"Well, I'm glad I helped rescue you then," he grinned, feeling himself settle for the first time since being told he had to stay off his feet.

"Yeah I'm… not exactly used to being rescued," Steve grinned like he'd had this conversation before.

"It's okay," Tony sighed a little, letting his eyes slip shut as Steve held him close. "I've had lots of practice," he said to him, letting the worries of the past few days finally float away. "And I like you in my arms."

.................................

We'll start posting Chapter 8 in a few weeks time :3


	24. Chapter 8a Ready or Not

Chapter 8.1 - Moth - Ready or Not

"You should be resting or something, you know that, right?" Jim asked as he looked at Tony over the video link. The man was laying in his bed - a large one, of course, big enough to hold at least three people - which had been more or less converted into a desk with folders and papers spread out next to Tony and the laptop by which they were speaking set up on some sort of table that was rolled up next to the frame.

Jim saw Tony look up at him from a stack of papers he was going through. He gestured around at his location, "Bed rest, I'm resting." he answered, as though he didn't want Rhodey to start in on him too.

Jim refrained from rolling his eyes, but he sat back in the chair he was sitting at in his office over on the west coast, "I don't know why I even bothered saying it," he chastised himself, though there was a certain amount of amusement in his voice.

Tony smirked at him through the video feed. "So the Lancaster report is done?" he asked him. Rhodey nodded.

"Finally. As done as it's ever going to be," he said, getting down to why Tony had wanted to have this conference call in the first place.

Tony shifted in bed and didn't say anything for a minute and Rhodey knew the look on his face meant he was in pain. But he didn't say anything. At least not for five whole seconds.

"Tony, you know we've got everything handled until after... _all this_ is over, right?" he asked, speaking of the baby.

Tony waved a hand at the monitor for a second until he could speak again. "Yeah I'm already behind as it is, I'm fine."

This time Rhodey did roll his eyes.

"You know there's a thing called 'maternity leave.' You should try it," Jim said, with a sigh.

Tony looked up at him finally with a raised eyebrow, "Maternity. Mothers. I stand firm that, despite my current condition, I'm not the mom in all this."

Jim snorted a laugh in spite of himself. "Yeah well, that's one you can bring up with Steve when I'm not in the room. In fact, when I'm far, far away from that room. On another planet." He paused. "How is Steve, anyway?"

Tony laughed but then he furrowed his brow, "Stubborn," he said, like he had no personal affiliation with the word. He looked back towards the monitor at Rhodey. "He's the one who should stay off his feet. Why don't you go yell at him?"

Rhodey shrugged. "Not as fulfilling?" he offered in return.

Tony made a face, but then he grew serious. "He's fine. Better now that Doom is locked up in the Negative Zone and all of the people who were trying to kidnap me aren't brainwashed anymore." Tony waved his hand dismissively.

Jim nodded some, "I think we're all resting a little better with Doom in another dimension. And without mole people attacking."

Tony raised a finger, "They're not actually mole people. They're more like rock people, see-"

Rhodey raised a hand, "Fine, without golem people walking around."

"Actually, golems are not peop-" Tony stopped himself short though, and wrapped an arm around his stomach. "Okay, Daddy's sorry. Golems can be people," he said, through a clenched jaw. He took in a breath after a minute and then seemed to relax some.

Rhodey sighed at him. "I'm surprised Pepper's not by your side 24/7, forcing you to do things for your own good in this," he said after a few minutes.

Tony's eyes drifted towards the ceiling and he smirked a little. "Well see, that's what happens when you get the job of smoothing everything that's been happening the past few months at Stark Industries over to the press." Tony lifted a hand. "Wait. She volunteered for it actually." he smiled. "That's even better, don't you think?"

Jim just blinked at the man. "She was always the strong one out of us," he responded. "How is that going, by the way. I mean with stockholders and-"

Tony shrugged. "Just fine. Apparently, if you're still saving their lives, the public eventually mostly forgets about the whole gay relationship with an impossible baby on the way, thing," he smiled a little too wide at the end of that comment.

"You're secretly enjoying all of this, aren't you?" Rhodey asked him. Tony laughed but he just shook his head.

Jim couldn't help but smile. Despite being eight months pregnant with a body that was in no way meant to house a growing super child, Tony looked like he was at peace with all of this. He looked tired, which was usually hard to gauge- he'd stayed up for an entire week once, so a few hours of lost sleep here and there were hardly even registering on the man's face - but other than that he was... well, glowing in his own sort of way. This was good for him, probably one of the best things to happen to the man aside from the Iron Man. Jim was at least grateful for that.

There was a knock at the door just then and Tony sighed, no doubt thinking it was one of the doctors to come and check up on him. "Come in," he said, looking down at this work again.

Jim couldn't see who had come into the room from his angle on the monitor, and Tony wasn't giving any hints in that he was still looking down at his work. He could hear the door open though, and he heard the clunk of something he realized was a walking cast when Steve Rogers came into view on the other side of the bed. "Am I supposed to sleep here tonight?" he asked his fiance.

Tony looked up, apparently surprised. He blinked once, then smiled. "Well... depends on when I go to sleep, I suppose. You know I have to finish this up."

Jim didn't have a good view of Steve's face, but got the impression from the man's body language that he wasn't taking that as an acceptable answer.

Tony just gave him a big grin.

Rhodey went back to looking at the work on his desk. He didn't exactly want to listen in on a private conversation, no matter how much he thought it might be entertaining. He heard Steve scoff and say something about how if he wanted him to rest he needed to give him a place to do it. Tony just sighed exasperatedly, and that got Rhodey to look back up at the monitor. "Fine take the bed, I have to pee... again, anyways."

Jim watched Tony go before looking at Steve properly. "You seem to be getting around alright," he commented about Steve's cast. The blond-haired man jumped visibly and turned on the computer monitor, looking surprised - apparently he hadn't realized Jim was there too.

"Ah..." he cleared his throat, "It's nothing that won't heal."

Jim smirked a little, but nodded, "Yeah, that seems to be the running theme around here."

He saw Steve nod some and he smirked back in return. Steve's eyes seemed to wander back over to where Jim knew the bathroom to be.

"How's he doing?" he asked, wanting a real answer, one he knew he wouldn't get from Tony himself.

Steve looked back over to the computer screen and appeared to be contemplating it over, knowing he could trust the other man, that Tony certainly did.

Steve sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at the floor. "He'll be alright. He just needs a lot of reminding that he's human, but... that's always been the case, hasn't it?" he grinned a little.

Rhodey thought about that and he decided it was true. Even back to the days that Tony had been playing superhero with a chest plate on, he'd needed a lot of... _reminding_.

"As long as you're taking care of him," he decided to say.

He could see the other man smile softly. Steve looked up at him, "I am. Don't worry, Jim."

Rhodey looked at him a moment, then nodded, smiling back, "Yeah, I know you are. You're one of the only people that can keep him in line. Most of the time."

Steve smirked, "Most of the time is the best we can hope for with him."

Jim laughed and was about to reply when Tony walked back in. The man paused and looked from Steve to the screen that held Rhodey's image, "You two were talking about me, weren't you?"

Steve shook his head innocently, "Not us."

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Jan was sitting on the couch in the living room of the Avenger's Tower. She was sipping on the cup of tea that Hank had gotten her and was awaiting his return from the kitchen. He was in there with Clint and Peter, no doubt doing everything but making the popcorn they were supposed to be, for movie night.

She still couldn't believe all that she had missed just by going to one little fashion show. That was weeks ago though, and Steve was safe and Tony was... well, he was taking this all in stride.

The person she was most impressed with though, if she were being honest with herself, was Hank. She smiled at the thought of him. Of him finally acting responsible and being able to help with the rescue of Captain America from Dr. Doom. She still couldn't believe Doom had been involved in this entire mess. Well... actually, yeah, she could see it.

She was taken out of her thoughts when she saw Hank leave the kitchen, a bowl of popcorn in his hands. "Were your ears burning?" she asked him, as he sat down next to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. He just smiled.

"Huh?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Never mind," she told him, running her fingers through his hair.

"I could get used to this," he said in return.

She smiled at him, probably just as surprised as he was that when she returned from California the first thing she had wanted to do was see him, talk to him, and share everything that had happened. And part of what had happened was...

"I can arrange that," Jan said, and Hank took a breath and looked at her with a smile.

And then they kissed.

It ended when she heard a scoff coming from the kitchen area. "I'm so glad you two are officially back together, but do you have to flaunt it right in my face." Clint said.

Jan rolled her eyes but didn't untangle herself from Hank. They might have been in denial about it before, but it was true. She didn't want to be with anyone else but Dr. Pym.

Clint gave an exaggerated sigh, then went to sit on one of the love seats as the rest of the Avengers started to fill up the living room.

It hadn't been since the mess of a baby shower they had thrown Tony that the whole of them had been in the same place at the same time, much less that place and time being somewhere without explosions. So they had all taken advantage of the rare downtime to cram uncomfortably close next to each other and watch a movie they'd all seen at least twice before.

Peter came in with another bowl of popcorn and opted to sit on the floor in front of the couch and MJ soon joined him, followed by Bobbi and then other strays who happened to be in the Tower at the time.

The Avenger closest to the TV asked if it was alright to start but Peter shook his head and Clint tossed some of his popcorn at who had asked.

"Gotta wait for mom and dad," he said, and then he smirked looking over at Jan and Hank on the couch. "And Tony's probably gonna want to lay out on the couch." He gave them a look like he was really broken up about the fact that they had to move.

Jan resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him but knew that he was right. They moved, not far, and no less intertwined, and a few minutes later Steve and Tony showed up.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Tony was... well, the best word to sum up how he was, was pregnant.

He felt bloated, ached all over, his feet hurt, and he felt about ready to pass out for the night and it wasn't even 8 yet. He felt more and more like sleeping all the time. Not to mention he was halfway between being a sobbing mess and wanting to take the armor out and blow something up at any given time.

Right now he was grumbling some to himself as he waddled out into the living room, with Steve's hand on the small of his back- apparently it was some sort of "family bonding night" or something. Those were always overrated.

As he sighed and made it to the couch though, the fact that everyone had kept it open for him was actually starting to get him choked up. Tony rubbed a hand over his face.

God. This pregnancy could not end soon enough, he thought, and then instantly the fear about becoming a father was back.

Tony took a breath and was getting a little overwhelmed by his thoughts when Steve's heavy arms wrapped around him from behind. Tony leaned up against him and instantly calmed.

"Okay, movie time," Clint said, from a love seat.

"We're not watching Highlander again, are we?" Tony whispered to Steve. "I have no idea," Steve said back, sitting down on the couch.

Tony sighed again and Peter moved aside so he could get to the couch as well.

Sitting was something of an ordeal now, since he couldn't just sit anymore. He had to ease himself into a flop more or less, looking behind himself and judging the distance before reaching back and feeling the arm of the sofa, then slowly lowering himself to a point where he more or less lost balance and fell back onto the cushion, landing with a grunt.

At least he'd gotten better at this whole procedure, and Steve had stopped holding out his arms to catch him every time he sat down.

As Tony settled, he could hear Clint say something about if he didn't like Highlander to get up and change it himself. Steve, who was already sitting and was waiting for Tony to curl up next to him, turned to glare at the man, but Tony just laughed.

He just let out a sigh and smirked. "Let's put this TV to good use, shall we," he said to the group. And the movie was started.

Tony was grateful for Steve's ability to just sit still when needed. He knew that the past few weeks had been hard on him considering he'd had to wear a cast, but all in all the past few weeks had been tons better then well... being chained to the side of a cave wall.

There had been a few 'Ha, now you know what it feels like' quips from Tony concerning the fact that Steve and himself were now both grounded off the active Avengers team roster, but soon after working himself a few late nights to finally complete the helicarrier he owed Fury, Tony had just wanted to sleep. He was beginning to think that he had narcolepsy.

The thought hadn't even formed fully in his mind before his head bobbed some, apparently having drifted off for a moment there. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but it seemed like they all had their attention on the movie.

He burrowed into the couch more and sighed. He leaned towards Steve and rested his head on the man's shoulder. No one would hold it against him if he rested his eyes, right? After all, he could practically recite the movie by this point. He'd finally been forced into his "Paternity Leave" after the helicarrier was done, so he might as well catch up on the sleep now.

"Hey Tony, you awake?" he heard, not sure how much time had gone by. It was Peter's voice.

"I'm resting my eyes," Tony said in return, still not lifting his head.

He felt Steve wrap his arm around him, and could hear Clint scoff, "You can't watch a movie, Stark, if your eyes aren't open." Tony didn't make a reply, apparently thinking it really wasn't worth it to fight the issue.

The line of thought seemed to be dropped when Steve finally moved a little. "You sure you don't want to just go upstairs and sleep in a bed?" he asked the man.

"Not going to bed, movie night." he replied, though it may have sounded it bit more like, "Nom bed, moffnum," he was sure Steve got the gist of it and that was all that mattered.

"Whatever makes you happy," he said, as he kissed Tony's forehead and let out a laugh, seemingly content to go back to the movie.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The movie played and various bits of 'commentary' were passed between the group, mostly thrown from Peter to Clint and back again. Steve had done his best to pay attention, even if he had seen it before, since he felt... well, obligated whenever they went out of their way to watch a movie, especially as a group like this. He'd do anything for his family. And he'd honestly enjoyed himself.

The most memorable moment of the night for Steve hadn't even come from the silver screen but being from Danni, who toddled up to a sleeping Tony and put her hands on his tummy as though she knew what was coming soon. He honestly couldn't wait until the little girl had a playmate. Just a month's time.

When the credits started to roll, he let out a breath, then looked over to the man who had gone from sleeping on his shoulder, to sleeping with his head on a pillow on his lap.

"Tony?" he said gently, squeezing the man's shoulder a bit to wake him up. Tony didn't budge and Steve moved a hand to his face. He was so tired lately. He'd actually been surprised when Tony had wanted to make it downstairs for Movie Night, he'd honestly just been resting most of the time lately.

The other Avengers in the room where beginning to pile out, a few not even making it until the end, so it was a lot less crowded then it had been in the beginning.

Steve waited until a few more were gone before trying to wake Tony again. He shook his shoulders gently and then kissed his forehead. It was still hot with that small fever he'd had for a little while now.

"Tony, baby," he said to him and shook him a bit harder, moving his hand over Tony's stomach, feeling how warm it was, almost like a furnace. "Time to wake up."

Peter got up from the floor, holding a now empty bowl of popcorn. He stretched and cracked his back before holding out a hand for MJ to help her up. He looked over his shoulder at the two of them still sitting on the couch, then focused on Tony.

"Has... he always been such a heavy sleeper?"

Steve looked up at him when he spoke. He knew the younger man was a bit anxious since they had discovered the bruises on Tony's abdomen. Steve ran his fingers through Tony's hair. He shook his head, not wanting to worry Peter.

"Just lately, past week or so," he admitted, though he said it in a voice that held no trigger of panic or emotion other then he had everything perfectly under control. Steve knew that when Tony accessed Extremis he got extremely tired, but he... honestly didn't think this was related to that.

He smiled at Peter, though he wasn't sure if he looked all that placated, and Mary Jane, well... she'd always been hyper vigilant about Tony's pregnancy.

"Tony," Steve said, in a rather loud voice, just wanting the man to wake up. Tony finally stirred a little. He'd really been dead to the world. Steve chided himself inwardly for his morbid choice of phrases.

"Bed time?" Tony mumbled, slurring even that briefest of statements. Steve nodded and helped him sit up, but Tony didn't seem all that interested in staying up or staying awake. Steve bit his tongue so that he didn't make a noise from the discomfort he'd accidentally given his leg when Tony leaned on him and he'd put weight on it funny.

Mary Jane went and sat on Tony's other side. "Should I call someone?" she asked Steve, who looked like he was seriously contemplating saying yes. That was when Tony finally woke up.

"I'mmokay," he said, to the people currently congregating around him. Peter squatted down in front of him to be at eye level with Tony. "Why are you always insisting on being the center of attention at Avenger get togethers? It's not like you don't own the place," he commented, trying to lighten the mood.

Tony shook his head, still looking groggy. "It's not me. It's the kid." he whispered loosely. "Already knows how to stop a crowd," he smirked.

Steve smiled too, though he was worried about the man. "Come on, stage dad, let's get you upstairs and we'll call someone in the morning," he told him, helping Tony up slowly so the man could find his balance. Peter got on the other side of him, and the two of them helped Tony up one floor, and into bed.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Tony would have been annoyed if he wasn't half asleep. It wasn't even Friday and they were doing a check-up on him and the baby. He was still in bed, but at least it was _his_ bed. He liked his bed, called it his own for a reason. He shut his eyes, refusing to be upset or concerned about this. The baby was fine.

Steve was sitting next to him on the edge of the frame, his foot elevated on a little stool that Tony had had in his closet, at the behest of Beast who was currently looking over a few things that he had gotten as readouts from the tests he had run on Tony first thing that morning.

"I think it's time," he said, and Tony sighed a little, trying to get more comfortable in bed. He shifted some to his side, it taking most of the energy he'd been trying to build up for when he had to go pee next, with the effort.

"Time for what? Coffee? Please say coffee," he muttered, his eyes still closed. He could feel Steve's fingers running through his hair. He knew the man was worried and he wanted to reassure him that everything was fine. But he was so damn tired.

He heard Beast laugh and felt a shift on the weight of the bed. "No no, sleepytime bear, it's time for that baby of yours to be welcomed to the bright and shiny world," he clarified.

Tony's eyes shot open as wide as he could manage. He shook his head weakly. "It's too soon," he said, his voice low and tired sounding, even to his own ears. "Got another month," he said, feeling sort of desperate. He looked over at Steve for some support.

The man smiled at him gently.

Beast, who was usually full of gusto and energy, looked at Tony kindly. "Your baby is going to be just fine. Your baby is strong, and has plenty of super solider, enough that like I said at the beginning of all of this, I'm not worried for your child. I'm worried about you."

Tony just shook his head. "I..." he let out a sigh. "I'm okay. I'm getting used to bed rest and everything," he swallowed some. He thought that the day that Beast finally said that it was time, he'd be nothing but excited. But... this was too soon, wasn't it?

Beast was smiling at him and he laid a heavy paw on top of Tony's hand. "You did a wonderful job keeping this child safe for eight whole months. And I know that they were not easy months. Let me protect _you_ now, and I promise do to as good a job as you have," he nodded some. "For both of you."

Tony felt like his throat was getting thick. He furrowed his brow in concern and he looked over at Steve again. Steve nodded and then motioned to Beast. "Can we have a minute?" he asked the blue furry doctor.

Beast nodded, flashing those fangs of his and he stood. "I'll be right outside," he answered, closing the door to the master bedroom behind him.

Tony watched the door close and let it stand there a beat before he blinked at Steve.

"I don't like this," he said, flatly. It was ingrained in his mind that premature meant sick and unprotected and that's how he was picturing their child right now, even with super soldier blood.

His eyes kept on Steve as the man moved closer to him and offered him a grim smile. "I know you don't. But I don't like you like... _this_ either. And Beast isn't worried. I've trusted him and Hank and Reed with you and the baby for a lot of months now. They wouldn't put our child in danger," he said.

Tony listened to Steve and tried to take his words in without any defensiveness. He wanted to argue that he was fine. Sure he couldn't really focus enough to work right now, and his body was starting to heat up and he wanted to sleep all the time, but he'd felt worse... so much worse, really.

He sighed though, hearing the facts. Tony knew it made sense, but there was still this feeling of dread, this air of foreboding, maybe something he hadn't read closely enough in the weekly reports when he had finally sat down to study them, or something that everyone had missed altogether or...

Steve took a breath. "You trust me, don't you?" the man said, finally.

Tony looked up at him, surprised that he would even doubt his commitment to him. "Of course I do," he smirked some. "I mean, I've only been carrying your baby for how long?"

Steve smiled down at him, "Then trust me with this, okay?"

Tony put a hand to his stomach and he closed his eyes. "You're right," he said quietly, squeezing his eyes shut a little tighter.

Steve put his hand on top of Tony's. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you, I'm what?" he asked. Tony opened one eye.

"We're having a heart to heart and you're going to do this now?" Steve just smiled at him.

"This is a good thing, Tony. This is exciting. And hey, I was going to wait and have it be a surprise, but I finished the nursery just a few days ago, so see? It's like fate."

Tony chuckled a little at that. He didn't believe in fate and he knew Steve knew that, but he nodded. "I didn't peak, you know. I didn't look in there even once," he felt exhausted again, like he could pass out, even though everything was getting to be uncertain again.

Steve moved in closer to him. "I know."

Tony leaned towards Steve as much as he could manage. He was quiet for a long moment, trying to absorb everything that was happening - or rather, going to happen. Steve must have thought that he had fallen asleep again because he nudged him a little. Tony opened his eyes again finally and gave him a smile.

"Hey... We're going to have a baby," he said, as if it had just hit him. Steve chuckled, "Thanks for catching up." He leaned down and kissed his forehead, "You ready?"

Tony took in as deep a breath as he could manage and finally nodded, "Yeah I'm... I-" Tony cut himself off when he thought of something.

He lifted a hand to go to the chain he had around his neck, he turned it until he felt the engagement ring Steve had given him, slip into his fingers. He spun it a little.

"You do me a favor?" he asked, trying to get his digits to undo the clasp on the chain. "You hold onto this for me, until I'm... until it's over? Take care of it."

Steve had a brief, conflicted look on his face and Tony could tell that he didn't want to accept the ring, but eventually the man nodded. "I will," he said, firmly. He slipped the chain from around Tony's neck and moved to put it around his own. He tucked it under his shirt and patted a hand on his chest, "Safe and sound. I promise."

Tony looked him over. "Just what I needed to hear," he smirked at him.

He knew that Steve could protect that ring and what it represented: their future. The family they were starting. He wanted Steve to hold on to it because he trusted it in his hands more then he trusted it in his own. He was thankful every day that Steve hadn't been taken from him and their child; that they weren't going to have to do this without him. He could protect that ring, and he could protect their child. Hell... he could probably protect the future itself, so as un-Tony-like and superstitious as it sounded, Tony had to believe that everything would turn out alright, as long as Steve kept his promise.

"Okay," Tony finally nodded. "I'm ready."


	25. Chapter 8b The Moment We've All Been

Steve felt like he'd been in the waiting room in the Tower's infirmary for hours. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take this. It was bad enough they wouldn't let him in the operating room because of his cast... he just wanted some news though, anything to let him know that Tony and the baby were doing okay.

At first he'd been all right, he really had, trying to make small talk and letting the other people in the room distract him in their own ways. Clint had been cracking jokes and Jan had been trying to get him to decide more things for the wedding. Tommy had even offered him a portable video game console and announced how this game should be right up Cap's alley since it required shooting Nazi's... Steve really hadn't been in the mood to tell him that that wasn't the kind of game he approved of, so he'd just smiled and stared at it blankly for a while.

But the longer Tony was in there the harder it had been to stay calm. He felt as though this was taking far too long. Steve had done research on Cesarean sections of the past few months, particularly in the past few days, and they usually didn't take over 30 minutes. While the information he'd found didn't quite apply to this case, something in Steve's gut was telling him something was wrong. He really couldn't help but think a hundred different things that could try to go wrong considering this wasn't even supposed to be possible. He knew that Tony was in good hands but he couldn't help it. He'd gone from pacing to sitting to pacing again and he was certain that all the many gathered eyes in the room here were following all of his movements.

He finally looked up, to see a few people divert their gazes. He took in a breath and decided that he needed to make a better show of this. Captain America was not going to break down in the middle of his child being born.

He sat again, and then folded his arms across his chest. His knee was bouncing anxiously though and he really wasn't sure how much longer he could just stay there. He tried to focus on something else.

He looked around him once more, at all of the people who had gathered in support of Tony and himself. Pepper was there, and so was Sam. The Cages were, and Jarvis. Bucky was supporting a wall by leaning up against it somewhere to his left, and Mary Jane was just now standing up to go and sit next to him. The Fantastic Four had sent their love, needing to be in the newly refurbished Baxter Building. And he was pretty sure Rhodey was on his way. He didn't see Peter but... the man had this habit of being late so...

"He's fine," MJ said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a sweet smile. "I mean, we were expecting it to take a bit longer simply because of the nature of the pregnancy, right?"

Steve ran a hand over his face, trying to take her words to heart. He gave a nod, "I know. It... It just seems _too_ long." The words hadn't left his mouth when there was a commotion down the hall near the operating room. Steve tensed all over as someone ran out and off in a direction without even looking at him.

Steve stood immediately, his back straight, Mary Jane's hand lifting from his shoulder. That had definitely been an orderly from the room Tony was in. He held his breath and took a step closer to where the operating room was located. He looked back towards the other people in the waiting room, to see if they looked worried too, but everyone's gaze was now on that hallway as well. The only one who caught his gaze was Jarvis, who did nothing but calmly smile at him. Steve wasn't sure why but he relaxed a little after that, at least able to breathe again.

Peter showed up finally a few minutes later, a camera around his neck. He looked a little disheveled. "Did I miss anything?" he asked with a grin that faded when Steve glanced at him.

He didn't know what his face must look like, but it was enough to tell the younger man that he was nervous and was, for once in his life, having trouble hiding it. But Steve stopped paying attention when the same orderly came back a minute later, rolling some sort of large medical device in front of him and not having slowed his pace any. He felt his mouth go dry.

"Nope we're good," Clint's voice answered Peter. "You made it in time for the best part," he said, standing up from where he'd been sitting and hooking an arm around Steve's neck. "Right, Cap?" he asked.

Steve tore his eyes away from the operating room and he nodded some, still feeling troubled.

"Man wouldn't even let us bring cigars to this thing," Clint continued looking at Peter for a second like he was telling the man something important. He rolled his eyes. "I got the bubble gum ones though, that okay?" Clint asked, and Steve took in an uneasy breath and tried to focus on Clint's words, knowing the man was trying to distract him from his worries.

"They make bubble gum ones?" he asked.

Clint nodded. "Yeah, so instead of lung cancer you can make a dentist very wealthy," he smirked.

Peter nodded quickly, apparently taking up the chance to help distract Steve. "Every year after Halloween there would be one kid that would bring them and they'd get in trouble for having 'drug paraphernalia' at school. I remember I got one once in my trick or treat bag and I turned it over to Aunt May because I thought I would get in trouble if I didn't."

Steve watched Clint gave Peter a blank stare in return, as if trying to think of some comeback, but then deciding it would be too easy and turning his attention back to Steve, "So you want some?"

Steve swallowed, barely hearing Peter's words, his thoughts just racing by quicker than he could finish them. He looked at Clint when the man had obviously asked him a question. "What?" he asked.

Clint patted the man's back some and smirked again. "Bubble gum, remember? I'll get you one," he said, leaving Steve's side for a second. Steve's eyes drifted back down the hall.

As he was watching, the doors flew open and he actually jumped. He was certain his heart stopped for a moment as Beast appeared, taking long strides down the corridor. For a split second, Steve thought he saw some sort of shadow over the man's fuzzy face, but it turned into a wide smile when they locked eyes.

"Well don't just stand there!" Beast waved a hand to Steve, beckoning him down the hallway.

Steve's feet didn't work at first but then he was marching over to Beast in as quick a pace as he could manage given his cast. If he'd been in any other frame of mind he would have looked back to the rest of the people gathered there, said something to them, but he simply went, barely hearing their heart-felt words of celebration.

He followed Beast into a delivery room, stopping once he got inside, looking back towards where the OR room and Tony were. "Are they okay? Did everything go as planned? What was-" he stopped as Beast turned around from where he had been leaning over a little table in front of him.

In Beast's arms was a baby wrapped in a warm, pale yellow blanket. "Congratulations, welcome to parenthood," Beast told him, and Steve blinked for a second before his thoughts cleared and he broke out into a boyish grin. He laughed.

"I think she wants you to hold her," Beast told him.

Steve went through a range of emotions that he couldn't even describe, and it ended in him offering his arms out to Beast.

She...

Her...

He had a daughter. She... she was so tiny. Tiny in comparison to what he thought a baby was supposed to look like, but… she had just been born. He held her as delicately as he could, so afraid that he would do something wrong.

"Everything's going to be okay," he told her, not sure why he felt as though that had to be the first thing he needed to say. "I can't believe you're here," he smiled, as she began to move a little.

She fidgeted a little more and then she began to cry.

Steve was surprised by himself as his natural instinct was to start moving with the girl, pacing some, hoping the movement would calm her down. There wasn't any moment of panic or of not knowing what to do. It was all there, everything he needed, somewhere in the back of his mind, letting him call upon it now for help.

He held the girl close to his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her back as he turned and started walking in the other direction, towards Beast now. He hushed her some, feeling her calm, as the man grinned back at him.

"Can I see Tony?" Steve asked in a quiet voice, feeling the need to speak softly around the new baby girl for some reason.

"You're a natural, Rogers," Beast grinned at him, putting a hand to the shoulder his young daughter wasn't resting on. Beast hesitated there for a second and then he nodded. "You can see him in a few minutes. He might be asleep for a little while," he replied. "You stay here with her, and I'll come get you."

Steve nodded gently, lightly rubbing the infant's back. She made a tiny noise and he smiled. "We'll wait here for Daddy, won't we?" he asked her.

Beast left the room and Steve continued to hold his daughter.

Everything would be fine.

Steve was sitting in a chair which had some balloons tied to the back of it. They were all different colors and said congratulations and other various alterations on the theme of them becoming brand new parents. Steve would just feel better when Tony woke up. He still had his daughter in his arms and he watched her as she slept, just as he was watching Tony there in the hospital bed next to him, the steady beat of a heart monitor sounding throughout the room. Steve had been told that it was just a precaution given Tony's history. It still had him a little on edge.

Finally, Tony stirred in bed and Steve automatically looked up at him. "Tony, baby?" he asked him, and Tony made a noise in response. Steve smiled softly and he stood, holding their daughter close. "I think I have someone here, and she really wants to meet you," he said softly, and that got Tony to slowly lift his eyelids up. He looked at Steve and then at whom Steve was holding and his face grew into a wide and exhausted smile.

"She?" he asked, a tad lethargic. Steve shifted the baby into one arm and helped Tony sit up just a bit with the pillows behind him before laying their daughter down on the man's chest. Tony gazed down at her happily. "Hello, beautiful," he said to her, "My Michelle," and Steve held his breath at the first time his daughter's name had ever been said aloud to her. The baby was still asleep, but fidgeted a little as Tony's hand rubbed her back.

Steve pulled his chair closer to the bedside and he lifted a hand up to move the hair out of Tony's face. He looked at his fiancé, a little concerned. The man didn't have much color to his cheeks and he was sweating like he was working off a shock or trauma. Steve knew it was entirely rational that it was just the c-section that had made Tony this way but he lowered his head down to rest on Tony's pillow and he looked at their daughter as Tony continued to rub her back.

"You were making me worry for a little bit there," he said, and Tony just hummed contentedly, the noise in the back of his throat.

"It was taking way too long," Steve said with a laugh he hoped hid how nervous he had felt on the matter. "I read on the computer how long c-sections are supposed to take. Peter showed me," he said, and that got Tony to smile.

"You read things on the Internet? I'm so proud of you," he took in a breath and let it out slowly, his eyes never leaving the baby. For a second it looked like Tony was going to tear up but he blinked and then smiled and his gaze met with Steve's. "Look how perfect she is," he said to him.

Steve grinned and kissed Tony's forehead. Tony was okay, he'd just make sure that the man rested, as always.

"You did so great," he said, to the other man. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been in here," Steve added.

Tony blinked and shook his head. "It was for the best."

Steve felt a little worried again but he smiled and then patted his chest, feeling for the chain that held Tony's engagement ring. "Hey I have something else for you," he said and Tony tried to open up his eyes a little wider. Steve took the chain off from around his neck, unclasped the hook and then slipped it around Tony's neck, being careful of the baby, before hooking it up again. "There, now I feel much better," he stated, matter-of-factly.

"Complete, even," Tony responded and it sounded sincere. Their moment ended when Michelle kicked out her tiny feet and made a gurgling cooing noise before opening her eyes and looking around at her fathers. "I think she's got your eyes," Tony whispered some, looking a little lost and blissful.

Steve leaned into him a little more and kissed his jaw line. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you."

Tony chuckled lowly and shifted his hold on his daughter, studying her fondly like he was trying to figure out everything about her. Watching Tony watch Michelle was probably the most amazing moment of Steve's life. He was just generally in awe of how... complete he felt. Complete was a good word. And Tony looked happy, legitimately wholly happy. Steve wasn't sure how long it would last but he was glad for it. Tony smiled at his daughter, the new life he'd helped to bring into this world, and there was a moment of peace.

Then Tony made a face.

"When do I get to leave this place?" he asked Steve and Steve simply sighed.

"Tony... can't you take it easy for an hour?" he asked back.

Tony smirked, looking decisively more Tony-like, and less like a trauma patient. "Hey, you know me," he said in return. "I have so much... to… do…" he tilted his head, trailing off, and looking at Michelle again, an easy smile on his face.

"Thank you," Steve suddenly found himself saying to Tony, after a few minutes.

Tony looked over at him with another grin. "Yeah? Why for?" he asked.

Steve thought about it, wondering himself and then he looked down, giving himself a moment. "For not having the first thing I said to her be a lie."

Tony's smirk disappeared and he tilted his head looking curious about that, but before he could ask, the door to Tony's room was knocked upon and then opened and Hank Pym came in, being trailed closely by Janet Van Dyne.

"Oh good you're awake," Hank commented but Janet had just sort of stopped in her tracks, looking at Michelle. She put a hand to her chest and then let out a breath. Hank looked over to her with a smile before going off to read Tony's vitals.

Jan cooed at the child, walking over to Steve and reaching out a hand to sweep back the little wisps of hair the infant had on her head. "She's beautiful you two," Jan said, her voice sounding sort of amazed. "I have no idea how you did it, but she's breathtaking."

"We had some great friends to help us out," Steve said automatically, standing to give Jan some room. Jan grinned, "I have got the cutest outfit. She's going to love it," she preened, standing up straight and smiling at Steve.

Steve breathed in slowly, "I'm not sure if-"

Tony who had been trying to perk up since Hank and Jan had entered the room interrupted him. "All of that depends on when we get out of here," he said, looking over to Hank. Hank just sort of looked at him blankly and opened up his mouth to speak.

Steve quickly interjected, "We're not starting up your bad health habits again, you're taking it easy and you're not going to argue the point with me."

Tony rolled his eyes. "My habits are never poor," he said. "Or well, they aren't cheap at least," he smirked. Then he waved a free hand, as his other arm still held his child. He looked down at her, smiling again. "Torture her with designer labels later, Janet. She's not even a day old." Jan might have pouted, but she kissed Tony's forehead and then sauntered over to Hank's side at the machines.

"You're doing fine, much more stable," Hank reported to Tony, finishing his check-up.

Steve made a face and looked at Tony. "Meaning you weren't before?"

Tony shrugged, "You say it like it surprises you," he smiled, his eyes still on Michelle. "Doesn't matter does it? Everything is so perfect now," he ended. Steve's eyes narrowed but he ended up sighing into a smile. He shook his head a little, sitting back down close to Tony and their daughter.

He couldn't really argue with that.


	26. Chapter 9 The End

Moth- Chapter 9 - The End

Tony was finally able to get back to work on a few new projects for Stark Industries. They weren't anything monumental, but they kept his mind busy. He'd been going a little crazy having to take it easy, even though he was still technically on paternity leave.

Tony was down in his lab, the feel of productivity finally behind his fingertips again. He looked over at his work and he grinned. Satisfied, he stretched his arms up over his head, his shirt coming up over the jut of his stomach. He pulled his shirt back down, and stared at himself with a less productive-feeling sigh.

Tony Stark looked over at his suit of armor. He looked down at his waistline.

Both were mocking him.

He'd tried to push it from his mind for months, but when he dreamt, it was always about flight. The g-forces and the feeling of defying gravity as he wore his suit, _his suit. The one he'd been staring at for months._

How much longer?

Enough was enough... he just had to know.

Reaching out with Extremis, he called the suit over to him. For the first time in months, it flew gracefully toward him, no more energy being diverted from Tony's mastery over it. He spread his arms out at his sides.

Legs were fine, no problem there. Arms, perfect. Hips were a little tight. Okay, maybe more then a little, but it had closed! And... he sucked in his stomach as much as he could. He heard the pressure lock seal with a satisfying hiss as the chest plate lowered into place.

He almost smiled, until he tried to take in a breath. The suit didn't give at all, and he noticed himself feeling kind of stuck in the armor. Tony tried to laugh, which turned out to be a horrible idea, his fingers splayed along his sides. Maybe he should try this again in a few weeks. Extremis might be helpful in shedding the pounds, but apparently not this quickly.

"What's going on?" he heard Steve say from the other side of the lab. Steve appeared around the other side of a large shelf of spare parts, Ellie wrapped in his arms.

Tony twisted in his spot to face him. He tried to smile back.

"Hey! Look at you!" Steve smiled brightly, taking in the sight of Tony in the armor.

"Ugh," Tony managed in return.

Steve's eyes went over Tony again, trying to assess the situation in his own way, no doubt. Then an eyebrow went up.

"It's still too small." He was grinning.

_He was amused._

"I'm still too big." Tony huffed.

"Didn't Rhodey fit into that? He's way bigger than you… are now." Steve stated, deftly avoiding mentioning just how big Tony had gotten.

Tony strained against the armor, taking in a breath deep enough to talk. "That was pre-Extremis. Once I figured out all of its systems, I made a custom suit better adapted to the neural uplink and…" Tony paused to take in another shallow breath. "designed it to fit me perfectly since no one else can wear the armor anyway."

Steve nodded at him like Tony was sounding completely reasonable. "You could make a new custom suit…"

Tony just stared at him, disbelieving that Captain America would suggest making a suit of armor that would fit anytime he got fat.

Steve laughed again, shaking his head slightly. "Well… you have to breathe again eventually, don't you?"

Tony looked at Steve, as if considering it for a moment - did he _really_ need to breath? Maybe Extremis could compensate for it- and then looked down and paused to admire the view of himself in the suit. Now matter how tight it was at the moment, the armor would always feel like home.

But then he heard a little cooing cry and his face softened into a smile at the remembrance of his daughter. He let his armor noiselessly move from his body and back into the corner of his lab, as he walked over to the two of them.

He smiled at the baby serenely, holding out his arms for her. "You ruined my girlish-figure, Ellie," he said, gently, as Steve delicately handed her over.

She mouthed her entire hand, while grasping Tony's fingers with her other digits.

Tony couldn't help but smile. He looked back up at Steve.

Steve kissed his temple. "Come on, the Avengers are waiting," he told him, and Tony nodded, as the three headed up to the top of the Tower.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Tony and the baby girl had been released from the hospital wing weeks ago and allowed to go home, and Steve was making sure they were well taken care of. They'd been relaxing and taking it easy as a family, getting used to life with their daughter, and now it was time to share it all with the Avengers.

After mingling and cooing over the baby a while, Tony decided it was finally time to reveal Steve's super secret baby nursery to the group, since he'd tortured them enough with it when he hadn't been allowed to see it.

Peter was already arguing with Luke over whether or not the room would have inkwells and old fashioned ball in a cup type of toys. Tony bounced Ellie a little, trying to keep busy as he waited for Steve's permission to enter. Steve wasn't really one to showcase things, but he knew better than to argue with his team, with his family, when they wanted something. And they wanted to see the nursery.

Finally the door cracked open and Steve smirked, throwing it wide and letting everyone in. He'd just wanted something special to give to his child when she was born, just like Tony had helped designed the crib. This child was not only safe where she slept but the walls were adorned with the heroes of past and present, all those who could call themselves Avenger were painted upon her walls to look over her.

"Look!" Peter was the first to speak. "I got a spot on the ceiling! Right by the crib, too."

Janet smiled at her image in her first costume flying in shrunken size near the window pane with a large Hank painted crouching into the space of wall he was in.

"This is amazing, Steve," she said with some awe in her voice, taking in the whole room.

Tony just laughed, in his own sort of awe as he took Ellie inside of her nursery. It was beautiful. It was all a forest, like from a fairy tale, and there were seasons as you panned across the walls. Spring was where the crib was, the beginning of life, and with all of the New Avengers.

Tony smiled. "See?" Tony winked at Steve, before looking to the others. "I told you all it was worth the wait."

Steve smiled, looking maybe just a little proud, he leaned into Tony. Looking at the place on the the wall where he had painted himself and Tony, and Ellie in their arms, he smiled. He couldn't finish the room until he'd known what she looked like.

He watched as Tony moved from his side and looked around the room, trying to take it all in. The man had already said that he was going to see something new each time he came in. He walked back up to Steve and gave him a kiss through a grin.

"Very detail oriented, aren't you?" he asked.

Steve held Tony close, "Look who's talking about details, Mister 'the moment I learned I could go back to my lab, I was all over Hank and Reed for putting things in the wrong place.'"

Tony shook his head, "Lab details are different. They're important. How else am I supposed to know if someone riffled through my things while I was gone? Which, by the way, Beast did."

Steve opened his mouth, but closed it again, "I... would say you're just being paranoid, but I'm sure not good things have happened to you before, haven't they?" he asked as he smiled at the Avengers all trying to find themselves on the walls.

Tony nodded, looking serious. "Yes. It has. So, see, I'm glad you get me."

Steve simply shook his head. "I suppose someone has to," he said, kissing the man briefly and taking Ellie into his arms, just wanting to hold the girl as much as he could. The rest of the Avengers continued looking at the murals on the walls, ooing and awwing over both the paintings and Ellie.

The stream eventually turned into a trickle then and soon only Steve, Tony, and their daughter remained.

Steve rocked the girl a little, feeding her her bottle and getting ready for her to spend her first nappy time in her nursery, no matter how long Tony wanted her to just sleep in their bed with them. He placed her in her crib.

Tony made a face.

"She could sleep in my Iron Man helmet in between us. She'd fit perfectly."

Steve smirked despite himself, "She'd be cramped in there."

"What about your shield?" Tony said smoothly, ignoring Steve's refusals.

Steve shook his head again, heading towards the door and taking Tony with him, a final look to his daughter. "We need to start thinking about the wedding now, not how to turn various weapons into cribs."

Tony laughed. "Steven, the helmet is not a weapon." He followed after Steve as the man turned off the lights and closed the door, but not before grabbing the baby monitor.

The room was still for a moment, then the lights flickered and the monitor squawked before going silent again as their baby girl drifted off to sleep.

The End

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

We just want to say thank you to all of the people who have read our story! It means so much to us and your reviews and encouragement are what kept us going :) To say thank you we want to offer you guys the chance to prompt us for a little drabble in the comments section if you'd like- or just PM us. The offer lasts until the end of 2010. So January 1st, 2011 no more prompts available. Again, thank you all so much!

xoxo


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